The Lost Boy
by hummerhouse
Summary: Master Splinter only discovered, rescued, and raised three turtle hatchlings. What became of the fourth? Alternate universe, adult concepts and situations, language, violence, TCest. Pairing: Leonardo/Michelangelo
1. Part 1

The Lost Boy  
part 1

He was wild and untamed; faster than anything they had ever seen. His laughter echoed through the streets and alleyways; unbridled and full of life, it resonated with the joy of living.

This was only the second time they had actually gotten a glimpse of him. The three brothers said not a word when they finally saw the flash of orange that proved they were not pursuing a phantom. Together they gave chase, fanning out in an attempt to box him into a corner somewhere.

They might as well have been after a will-o-the-wisp. It came to the eldest then that he was probably playing with them; giving the three mutant turtles a glimpse of a form exactly like their own before darting out of sight again. Only once did he truly stop long enough for them to confirm what they had guessed.

After two hours of endless pursuit that left them grasping nothing, the brothers conceded defeat and turned towards home. This night, like many in the last few weeks, was less of a patrol and more a game of tag. Though loathe to admit the fact, they had stopped being crime fighters almost as soon as this strange entity had made his appearance.

As Donatello pried back the heavy manhole cover preparatory to their dive into the sewers, the three brothers heard the lilting sound of their phantoms laughter reverberate off the surrounding buildings. The almost mocking tone would normally have infuriated the red banded Raphael, but he heard no disrespect in the voice. Mostly he heard a challenge; filled with the promise of fun and adventure, it made him smile.

Dropping into the darkness beneath the city, the brothers trudged home. In each of their minds ran an almost identical string of thought; where had this fourth mutated turtle come from? How could he look so similar to them, even to the wearing of a nearly matching mask?

It had taken almost two weeks for them to finally see him, and all three knew that had occurred because he had been waiting for them. No doubt his curiosity was as great as theirs, but not great enough to bring him to a stop when they called for him to do so.

Master Splinter could not provide them with answers when they had approached him. It was just after that first sighting that they had rushed home to the lair to question their Father about the mystery turtle. He could only guess that between the time of their contact with the mutagen that soon transformed the trio and his rescue of them, a fourth turtle had wandered away and lost himself.

Donatello, the brightest of the three, was intrigued at how a long, lost brother could have come to acquire such extraordinary skills without the advantage of a sensei to teach them to him. From what they had witnessed, this orange banded turtle had developed in a manner that was nearly parallel to their own progression, even down to his ability to fight.

Raphael, the most volatile of the three, sarcastically remarked that the phantom turtle seemed to have advanced further than they, since efforts to catch him had proven futile. The first intimation they had of his existence was a pile of unconscious Purple Dragons lying on a sidewalk in front of the convenience store they'd just attempted to rob.

Leonardo, who was the eldest and the de facto leader of their team, found the timing of their encounter with the new turtle to be compelling. Having lived their entire lives in the big apple how was it possible that they had never seen this turtle before? Had he existed in captivity and recently acquired his freedom, or had he been raised by one of their enemies?

All of their questions would go unanswered until they caught the crafty turtle, and they had certainly tried. Oh how they had tried.

This second sighting was much the same as the first; the turtle had stopped running long enough to let them have a decent look at him. It was obvious that it was his own curiosity that had stayed his feet rather than anything else.

His skin was sea green in color; his muscles lean and defined as compared to their bulkier musculature. The carapace on his back was of a slightly different shape, a bit smaller in circumference, possibly explaining his broader range of motion. In his belt he carried a pair of nunchaku; situated on his sides it gave the illusion of a modern day gunslinger.

Then Raph had taken a step towards the ladder the turtle was perched upon and the tableau had broken. In a flash, the orange banded turtle had fled from them, flowing over the rungs as though lifted by some invisible force.

That sea green skin rippled with supple grace as he vaulted onto the rooftop; gone from sight by the time the three brothers finally set foot there as well.

Other than the laughter, there was no other sign of him.

Walking through the sewers towards their home, Leonardo recalled the moment when his eyes had met and held those belonging to the mystery turtle. The brightest, most brilliant shade of blue, those eyes had captivated the normally stoic leader.

The other turtle had not stared so openly at either of Leonardo's brothers, or so Leonardo had hoped. Surely the twinkle in those eyes and the way his lips had pursed in a teasing challenge had been meant for Leonardo alone.

Whether or not that was the case, Leonardo found that he was enraptured. Whatever spell had been cast upon him; Leonardo was fully within its grasp.

A need that the turtle leader had never felt before settled into his very bones. It was no longer mere curiosity that drove him, though his feelings and thoughts were as yet too nebulous to put into words. All that Leonardo knew was that he could not stop pursuing the orange banded turtle until he had caught him.

What he would do then, Leonardo hadn't given much thought to; the impetus to give chase had become something of a biological imperative. Of one thing Leonardo was fairly certain; once he had caught the beguiling turtle, he would never let him go.

TBC….


	2. Part 2

The Lost Boy  
part 2

Leonardo dreamed of the sea green turtle that night. It was not the first time the lost boy, as Leonardo had come to think of him, had invaded the older turtles dreams, but it was the most vivid.

Now he had shape and color, where before he was merely a ghost in the mist. The same infectious laughter filled the dream, but now Leonardo saw the lips from which it fell.

Blue eyes pierced the gloom and pushed aside the darkness; shadows whose strength would lay claim to Leonardo were as nothing against the brightness that moved with the phantom turtle. The cold that always gripped Leonardo in his shadow dreams was pushed aside by the lost boy's warmth.

Leonardo felt an overwhelming urge to touch the other turtle, but for each step forward that he took, the other turtle took two steps back.

_"Please stay,"_ Leonardo called out in desperation as the other turtle began to fade away.

_"Catch me,"_ the turtle teased, his laughter whipping out to caress Leonardo's skin.

When Leonardo woke to find that he was painfully hard beneath his plastron, he was not at all surprised.

All throughout the next day, either Raphael or Donatello would stop Leonardo to ask if he intended to try to catch the mystery turtle. When Leonardo responded affirmatively, they then asked how. It was difficult for them to believe that Leonardo did not already have a plan, when in fact he'd had a number of plans and they had already tried all of them.

"I'm open to suggestions," Leonardo said, part wistfully and part sarcastically.

"Next time we see the little shit, we just need ta pounce on him," Raphael said. "Surround him and stop him from running off."

"Do you know how many times we've already tried that tactic?" Leonardo asked. "He never goes into an area that he can't escape from; he never paints himself into a corner. We've only seen him twice because twice is all he's allowed us to see him. I'm sure he's never seen others of his kind so I have no idea why he keeps running away. You'd think he'd be as curious about us as we are about him."

Donatello looked thoughtful as he said, "I don't think he's shy, I think he's just wary. That seems to indicate that he's spent a lot of time alone and probably also that he's had some bad experiences. He seems to crave interaction with us; otherwise he wouldn't practically call to us every night with his laughter. Allowing us those brief glimpses of him is probably his way of satisfying the questions he has about us without putting himself into too much danger of being caught."

Raphael huffed. "If we were playing hide-n-seek with him, our mystery turtle would walk off with the trophy. He's just too damn good at hiding."

"In actuality, we _are_ playing a game with him," Donatello said. "He calls to us, we give chase, and he eludes us. From the sound of things, he's having himself a great time."

"So maybe we should ignore him," Raphael said. "Maybe he'd come closer then and we could grab him."

Donatello laughed. "I don't think he'd respond too favorably to being grabbed. Have you seen what he's been doing to the Purple Dragons with his nunchucks?"

"I ain't chopped liver ya' know and I'm a damn sight better than any five Purple Dragons put together," Raphael said, puffing out his chest. "I can handle anything he can dish out with those 'chucks of his."

"Can you handle it while he's bouncing around?" Donatello asked. "He isn't the kind to stand toe-to-toe with you trading blows. He'll hit you and by the time you take a swing at him, he won't be there anymore."

"Oh yeah? Well I say I can take him," Raphael said belligerently.

"I don't know why getting close to him needs to disintegrate into a fight," Donatello said. "He hasn't exactly been aggressive towards any of us."

"None of that makes any difference if we can't figure out a way ta find him and get him ta stay in one spot," Raphael pointed out.

Leonardo had been silent during his brother's debate, his mind gnawing on their problem like a dog with a bone. Finally he looked up and said, "If you're searching for a hunter, you don't go where you think _he'll_ be, you go where you know his _prey_ will be."

A slow smile creased Raphael's mouth. "The one thing we do know about him from these last few weeks is that he hates the Purple Dragons just as much as we do."

"And the Dragons are a lot easier to find than that turtle is," Donatello said, continuing the train of thought.

"The night after this one is Friday," Leonardo said. "It's supposed to be overcast which means no moon."

"No moon means the night crawlers come out of the woodwork," Raphael said. "Let me give my source a call; I'll bet he's heard something on the streets about the Dragons. Those bozos are as predictable as Master Splinter's early morning tea."

Raphael's source was a human named Casey Jones. Jones had once run with the street gangs; from a broken home he had no discipline, no fear, no self-control, and a hot temper.

He was one of the lucky ones; a coach had spotted potential in the pre-teen and gotten him into athletics, hockey to be exact. The kid had fallen hopelessly in love with the sport and that love had pushed him to stay in school. He'd gotten a college scholarship and was a top prospect for the pro-scouts.

Then one weekend when he was home visiting his sick mother, the Purple Dragons had come around looking to collect protection money from the residents of her apartment complex.

Apparently unhappy with how little they got, they had proceeded to torch the building. Casey, on his way back from the pharmacy, saw them and jumped into the middle of the group, fists swinging.

He'd broken off from the fight when the fire turned into a conflagration. Rushing inside, he'd gotten his mother and several of their neighbors out of the building. As he was carrying an old man to safety, one of the Purple Dragons jumped out of the shadows and knee-capped the young hero.

Casey's mother suffered a coronary and died, and Casey's injured knee ended his chances of playing pro-hockey. It became his mission to destroy New York City's street gangs, most especially the Purple Dragons.

His neighborhood connections fed him all the information he required to continue his crusade and meeting Raphael, a kindred spirit, had given him the close friend that he needed.

If the Purple Dragons were going to be busy Friday night, Casey Jones would know it and soon Raphael and his brothers would know it as well. Casey might have even heard talk of the mystery turtle, though the brothers doubted he would know anything useful.

The turtle in the orange mask was just too elusive. Friday night would prove if he was also uncatchable.

For Leonardo that concept was untenable. His thoughts were filled day and night with the charismatic imp, to the point of it becoming an obsession. He was determined to get close to the spirited turtle, no matter what he had to do.

TBC…


	3. Part 3

The Lost Boy  
part 3

On Friday night Casey met the three turtles on the rooftop of his apartment building. The expectant looks on their faces made him grin.

"I got three choices for ya'," Casey said. "Some of the PD's are supposed ta be taking delivery of a truckload of stolen cigarettes at that abandoned warehouse on Chicon and South 10th. I hear that another group has been told ta mess up the auto shop on 51st 'cause the owner won't boost parts for 'em. A third bunch of Purple Dragons is _supposed_ ta be breaking into the elementary school on Windsor."

"'Supposed' ta be?' Raphael asked, catching the nuance in Casey's sentence.

"Yeah, but I heard they're really setting up an ambush for some rival gang who keeps showing up ta beat the shit out of them whenever they try ta make some easy cash," Casey said, "and for once it ain't ya' guys. It's kinda curious 'cause they're using the same ninja type methods."

"Why do the Purple Dragons think the elementary school is more of a draw for this rival gang than either of your other two choices?" Leonardo asked.

Casey shrugged. "Dunno, they seem ta think that'll work though. From what I hear, they're banking on it ta the tune of a couple dozen Dragons. Most of them will be hiding until the other gang shows up."

The brothers all looked at each other and then Raphael told Casey, "We'll check out that school."

"Hey, ya' guys know something about this new gang?" Casey asked. "Is there something building out on the streets that I need ta know about?"

"It isn't another gang," Donatello answered. "Apparently there is another vigilante out there who thinks as highly of the Purple Dragons as you do. He's just really good at not being seen."

Casey scratched his neck. "Shit, he'd be better off staying away from this one then. One guy against nearly thirty Dragons ain't the best odds. Unless that one is Raphael here; he's just psycho enough ta pull it off."

"Takes one ta know one," Raphael shot back.

"Ooh, that was original," Casey said with a grin. "Hey, ya' guys want me ta come with?"

Leonardo shook his head before either of his brothers could answer. "No, this is something we need to look into by ourselves. We'll explain later."

"Be mysterious," Casey said, still smiling. "I didn't wanna go anyway; the owner of that auto shop is a pal of mine. He likes golf the way I like hockey. Ya' should see what a nine iron does ta a guy's skull."

"We'll take your word for it," Donatello said quickly, afraid that Casey would elaborate. Their friend could get a little bloodthirsty at times.

"Later then," Casey said, lifting a hand as he turned to leave. Halfway across the rooftop he spun around and added, "Be careful out there; the Purple Dragons would love to take your heads off and this vigilante might resent your help."

After delivering his warning, he raced over the rest of the roof, leaping over the space between buildings with ease. He was well on his way across the third rooftop before the turtles sped off towards their destination.

They ran in silence for several blocks, concentrating on a route that would keep them above the city streets but still get them to the school on time. Raphael kept shooting curious glances at Leonardo; his brother seemed more amped up than usual.

Finally unable to contain his interest, Raphael asked, "So what do ya' wanna do once we get there? If the Dragons are there but the kid doesn't show, should we roust the PD's anyway?"

"We should," Leonardo said without looking over at his brother. "I don't particularly like their idea of trying to ambush anyone; it's a bad precedent to allow them to set."

Raphael grinned. "I'm glad ta hear ya' say that. I was afraid you'd ignore 'em in favor of hunting for the kid."

That did make Leonardo take a quick look at Raphael. "I would never back away from a responsibility to the citizens of this city. What would make you believe something like that?"

"'Cause ever since that mystery turtle showed up you've been kinda distracted," Raphael said. "I know me and Donatello spend a lot of time thinking and guessing things about him, but you've been acting like something crawled into your throat and lodged there. Something ya' wanna share?"

The threesome made the leap from one building to the next and then stopped when they ran out of buildings. A small park separated them from the fenced in playground in the school yard and they squatted down to survey the topography.

Keeping his voice low, Leonardo said, "It just bothers me how we couldn't know about this other turtle until now. It's like he's . . . ."

"Another brother?" Donatello offered.

Leonardo nodded. "Yes. But how could he have become separated from us?"

"Maybe he didn't," Raphael said. "Maybe the Utroms decided ta experiment on another turtle after they saw what happened ta us. He seems like he's younger than we are and it would sure explain where he learned ta fight."

"That's a fair hypothesis," Donatello acknowledged, "but statistically speaking, I don't buy into it. I've taken minute samples from the trace amounts of mutagen left in canisters at the TCRI building after it was destroyed and compared them to what I could swab out of our canister. Every one of them is slightly different in composition. Even if you conceded that they used a red eared slider and that the only foreign DNA on its body was human, the differences in the mutagen wouldn't have given them an exact replica of us."

"He don't look exactly like us," Raphael argued, fond of his idea.

"You know what I mean," Donatello said. "Other than skin and eye color, he looks like we do, and in case you haven't noticed, we don't all look alike either."

"That turtle is skinnier and his shell ain't as big," Raphael said heatedly.

"He isn't as muscular because he probably doesn't weight train the way we do," Donatello explained. "From the way he moves, I wouldn't discount his strength right away. The shell growth is undoubtedly due to a difference in nutrition."

"Hey, maybe he's a she," Raphael said, perking up. "We ain't been close enough ta tell for sure. Wouldn't that be great?"

Leonardo felt his back stiffen. "The other turtle is male," he said in a harsh whisper. "Don't let your mind start wandering down that other path."

Raphael smirked. "Why not? Male, female; he's one of our kind and it'd be nice ta have the chance ta mate. Might not ever happen again."

"If you start thinking that way you'll scare him off," Leonardo said, his eyes flashing angrily.

"Could be ya' don't want the competition," Raphael mocked. "Is that it, Leonardo? Are ya' hoping ta keep him for yourself?"

"This conversation is non-productive," Leonardo snapped. "Let's focus on our mission. Do you think you can manage that, Raphael?"

"Hey, no problem," Raphael answered. "Lead the way, o fearless one. Just so ya' know, I ain't gonna do anything that'll scare the kid off. I can be just as polite and gentle as either of ya' when I got a good reason."

Leonardo pressed his lips together to refrain from further argument, though inside he was simmering. It figured that Raphael would sense that his older brother had a deeper interest in the lost boy than just a superficial curiosity.

That was the way it always was; Raphael had an ingrained need to try to take things from Leonardo. Most of the time, Leonardo let Raphael's challenges roll off of his shell; they weren't worth the effort of an altercation.

This time Leonardo could feel an unusual possessiveness churning inside of him. There was no point in trying to lie to himself and say that he didn't want the turtle in the orange mask in exactly the way Raphael had alluded to, because Leonardo truly did.

Something moved in Leonardo's peripheral vision and pulled him from his thoughts. Down amongst the trees a shadow shifted slightly and Leo, who understood shadows well, knew something was there.

His instincts told him that the lost boy had arrived for his ambush party. Leonardo tensed as he prepared to move.

He and his brothers were about to become uninvited and certainly most unwanted guests.

TBC…


	4. Part 4

The Lost Boy  
part 4

Leonardo dodged through the park's trees silently, separating from his brothers in a familiar flanking maneuver. Having analyzed the field of battle and determined the positions from which the opposition was most likely lying in wait, Leonardo had devised an ambush attack of his own.

After Leonardo and his brothers had entered the cover provided by the trees, he'd lost sight of the other turtle. The sound of breaking glass told the ninja leader that the Purple Dragons were making their move. No doubt a small group of them had just become visible in order to lure their new adversary into a trap.

Nearing the playground, Leonardo could see where the fence had been cut loose and peeled back. He doubted that was the work of the orange banded turtle; that agile youngster could easily leap over a six foot fence.

Stopping at the appointed spot, Leonardo closed his eyes for a moment and listened. He could hear the sounds of Raphael lightly drumming on the handles of his sais and the soft creaking coming from the extra gear Donatello always insisted on carrying. The noises were miniscule and weren't likely to be noticed by anyone who was not a trained ninja. Leonardo did not make even that much noise; his silence was complete.

A muffled grunt told him that Raphael had located one of the Dragons and effectively removed him from tonight's adventure. When Raphael put someone to sleep, they stayed that way.

It proved that Leonardo was correct in his assessment; the Purple Dragons had positioned men in the park to watch for the young mystery turtle. They had probably been instructed to give some sort of signal once they had seen him pass. It was obvious that the Dragons knew they were not fighting another gang.

The fact that no signal had sounded was a good indicator of the mystery turtle's stealth. The lost boy might not be savvy enough to avoid an ambush, but he certainly had plenty of ninja skills.

To his left Leonardo heard someone clear their throat, followed almost immediately by the sound of solid wood connecting with a skull. It was never a good idea to give away your position when there were ninjas in the park, but then, a Dragon had just learned that.

A foot scuffed against dry leaves somewhere ahead of Leonardo and a corner of his mouth twitched upwards. Catching a low hanging limb, he drew himself into the closest tree, leaping easily from that one to the next.

Below him he spotted two Dragons, both of them staring towards the school. Bending into a squat, Leonardo pushed off from the tree branch and landed on both of them, smacking their heads together as his weight drove them to the ground.

Perched on their backs, Leonardo waited cautiously to see if the sound of their falling had drawn anyone. After a second he heard faint footsteps and then a deep chuckle.

"Damn you're loud," Raphael whispered.

"Yours cried out," Leonardo retorted.

"The second one didn't," Raphael told him, his grin cocky.

"Tuck them back in guys," Donatello said from his position next to the fence. "You can decide whose is bigger later. I just saw lights flashing inside the school."

His brothers immediately turned their attention to the two story building. All was in darkness, but then several lights moved at once; the result of people using flashlights to illuminate their way.

Suddenly one of the exterior building lights went out, plunging a corner of the yard into darkness. A shout was cut off mid-voice; the ending gurgle clearly audible.

From several sides spotlights flashed on, showing the three turtle brothers a half-dozen Purple Dragons streaming out of the school through a number of broken windows. One Dragon lay prone on the concrete and standing over him was the orange banded turtle.

Even from a distance, Leonardo could see the look of surprise on the turtle's face. It lasted for all of two seconds and then the mystery turtle became a whirling dervish of activity, moving nearly as fast as the two nunchucks that were spinning in his hands.

Diving through the opening in the fence, Leonardo called to his brothers in a low voice, "Fan out. Find the lights and cut them off."

Running all out, Leonardo raced towards the nearest spotlight, his eyes avoiding the brightness of it so that it wouldn't blind him. His focus was on the human form that was holding the light and without the least hesitation; Leonardo slammed the hilt of his katana against the back of the Dragon's head.

As the man slumped to the ground, Leonardo sliced the spotlight in two. To either side of him an additional pair of lights winked out.

The sound of the younger turtle's fight was loud to Leonardo's hearing. He took a moment to look up and spotted a flurry of orange amongst a sea of human bodies. The Dragons were pressing in on him, the majority of them as yet unaware that others had joined the battle.

Leaving Raphael and Donatello to deal with the remainder of the spotlights, Leonardo dove into the melee. He could hear the other turtle taunting his attackers; urging them to anger in order to encourage their mistakes. It was an unusual style of fighting, but then everything about this other turtle was unusual.

His style was proving to be effective as well. Their vast numbers were proving to be more of a detriment than an advantage and the young turtle's nunchucks were working overtime.

Leonardo smashed his way through the rear guard, leaving unconscious Dragons lying in his wake. He drew close enough to get a clear view of the other turtle; watching in awe as his lithe form twisted and flipped through the air, his entire body giving the impression of being almost boneless at times.

His weapons moved in a nearly identical manner, mimicking exactly the mystery turtle's flexibility. Leonardo and his brothers had all crossed trained with the nunchaku but found it a difficult weapon to master. Just reaching a point where it was possible to predict the behavior of the weapon meant hours of practice.

The nunchucks required a certain amount of integrated body motion that simply did not come naturally to the three ninja brothers. But the lost boy almost seemed to have been born with that weapon in his hands.

As talented and quick as he was, the mystery turtle was no match for the consistent press of the thoroughly angered Purple Dragons. The younger members of the gang were making room for their seasoned brethren, and that group of thugs carried more formidable weapons that fists and pipes.

Leonardo broke through just as a sword swept down towards the young turtle's head. A loud clang rang out as Leonardo caught the man's sword on his own and swept it aside, rocking the man backwards with a stunning blow to his temple.

The mystery turtle looked over his shoulder, eyes wide at the sight of Leonardo at his back. Their eyes met for a brief moment, the younger one's orbs displaying wonderment at who had come to his rescue.

With a bright smile, he turned back to the fight, redoubling his energetic movements. They worked in tandem, almost as if they had trained together for years, each sensing exactly what the other was doing.

A harsh shout informed Leonardo of Raphael's presence and the swift clearing in one sweep of three of their enemies heralded Donatello's arrival into the fight as well.

The battle began to ebb; the Purple Dragons recognizing their turtle nemeses and wanting nothing to do with them. Those that were able ran away and others who were more stubborn than intelligent attempted to fight on.

Leonardo and the young turtle had been separated from the other two turtles when the sound of sirens reached them.

"Shit the cops!" Raphael shouted, pounding a Dragon into unconsciousness.

Leonardo couldn't see his brothers; a corner of the building was between them. "Scatter!" he ordered, knowing his siblings would disappear in a matter of seconds.

He was just swinging back in order to locate the orange banded turtle when a Purple Dragon suddenly stepped into his field of vision, gun lifting. Leonardo sprang aside, feeling as though he was moving in slow motion as the gun tracked him.

Then a flash of orange entered the scene, cracking against the Dragon's arm just as he pulled the trigger. The strike shattered the man's wrist and shoved the gun from its target.

Leonardo felt the cut of the bullet as it plowed a furrow across his upper trapezoid and then he hit the ground, rolling with the momentum and coming immediately to his feet.

Looking around for the young turtle, Leonardo spotted him about fifty yards away, running towards the fence. The turtle glanced over his shoulder at Leonardo and winked, just before springing over the fence as though it was no taller than a blade of grass.

A wide smile lifted Leonardo's mouth as he sheathed his swords and gave chase. He wasn't concerned as to the whereabouts of his brothers; he knew they had gotten away.

Tonight however, Leonardo was determined that the young turtle in the orange mask would not escape him. If he had to spend the entire night tracking the illusive and alluring turtle, that's exactly what Leonardo intended to do.

TBC….


	5. Part 5

The Lost Boy  
part 5

A light mist had started to fall and even though Leonardo had lost sight of the orange banded turtle, his footprints were quite visible. So was his scent, the musky odor clinging to the insides of Leonardo's nostrils. Leonardo was often delighted by the fact that he was a turtle for as such he had an extraordinary sense of smell. Even the touch of moisture in the air did not diminish that faculty.

The slightly musky sweet scent belonging to the other turtle was both unique and enticing. It was like a hook inside Leonardo's nose, pulling him forward. The fact that the scent still hung in the air told Leonardo that his quarry did not have that much of a lead on him.

Leonardo was careful to remain invisible in case the lost boy was cautiously watching his back trail. Minute sounds touched Leonardo's hearing, amongst them the tiniest rattle of the chains on the young turtle's nunchucks. Smiling slightly, Leonardo knew he would have to teach the orange banded turtle how to properly holster his weapon so that the chains wouldn't give him away.

Already Leonardo found himself thinking of the future, when he had yet to conquer the present. Pushing back his racing thoughts, Leonardo forced himself to focus on the task at hand. One could not teach what one had yet to catch.

They were in an older section of the city and there were numerous places to hide. Leonardo was surprised that the other turtle had not chosen to use the rooftops; they were a much faster mode of travel. The weather dissuaded humans from coming out though, so the two turtles had the streets to themselves.

Before long, the lost boy's footprints led Leonardo to a wide, dead end alley. The orange banded turtle was nowhere to be seen, but his scent hung in the air.

Turning in every direction and finally looking up, Leonardo could not find where the mystery turtle had gone. Into his mind came a fragment of a dream he'd had the night before; the turtle ran from him as always, this time just beyond the reach of Leonardo's fingertips.

When Leonardo called out to him, the turtle had offered the blue banded ninja a dazzling smile and told him, _"I'm not real until you catch me. And no one can catch me."_

Leonardo blinked away the memory. This younger turtle was by no means a ghost, just a very tricky and resourceful adversary.

Squatting, Leonardo leaned down until his cheek was nearly touching the ground and ran his eyes over the rough pavement. He saw where the pool in the center of the alley had splashed beyond its boundaries in several places, telling the experienced tracker that the lost boy had run through the water to hide his footprints.

Then his sharp eyes spotted two twin lines running parallel to the wall on the left side of the tunnel. Rising to his feet, Leonardo crept closer, noting that the lines were next to an old fashioned, heavy metal box that had at one time served as a place to hold deliveries. Such boxes were normally fastened by thick brackets to the wall, but upon closer examination, Leonardo could see that while the brackets appeared to be in place, they did not actually touch the brick wall.

Leonardo ran his eyes over the three foot wide box and on the side furthest from him spotted where the condensation attached to it had run in rivulets downwards. Something or someone had touched the box just there, pressing the water together until heavier droplets had formed.

With a satisfied expression, Leonardo did likewise, not at all surprised when the box rolled under his hands. Underneath it was a rectangular metal access door, the type that led into building maintenance tunnels.

Leonardo noticed that a flexible metal spring bar ran from the door handle to the underside of the delivery box and guessed that when the door was lifted and then pulled shut, the spring would yank the delivery box back over the door to hide it. It was simple, yet ingenious, and Leonardo's estimation of the young turtle's intellect rose.

Just as he was reaching for the door handle, Leonardo's shell cell buzzed. With a frown, he quickly answered it, keeping his voice low. "Are you guy's safe?"

_"Hell yeah,"_ Raphael answered, his tone somewhat belligerent. _"Where the fuck did ya' go?"_

"I'm tracking the turtle," Leonardo said, giving no details.

_"Really? No shit, I kinda figured that one out for myself,"_ Raphael snapped_. "Where exactly?"_

"He's getting away, I don't have time," Leonardo said quickly.

_"Goddammit, Leonardo! We'll track your fucking cell signal,"_ Raphael growled.

"Do that," Leonardo said, swiftly disconnecting the call. Walking over to the delivery box, he lifted the rusty lid and tossed his phone inside.

Wasting no more time, Leonardo pulled open the maintenance door and stepped onto the stairs that led downwards into darkness. He was careful to pull the door closed with a good firm jerk, hearing the delivery box roll into place overhead.

The stairs took him into a room filled with pipes and electrical conduits. There was no sign of the orange banded turtle and despite the layers of dust and dirt that clung to everything else, the floor was remarkably clean. Leonardo chuckled under his breath; that was obviously the work of his young friend.

Leonardo didn't need his footprints to follow however, the turtle's scent still lingered. It was lighter now due to the delay in Leonardo's locating his hiding spot, but it was there. The ninja leader also adhered to the saying that one could not pass through a place without leaving their mark upon it.

Slowly following the scent trail, Leonardo allowed his eyes to roam at will, depending on his other senses to warn him of danger. A tiny dust ball still rolled on itself in one corner, telling of someone's passing. The strands of recently broken cobwebs fluttered to his left and right; so delicate that the wind created by someone rushing past could sever them.

A smudge in the dirt on one massive pipe told Leonardo that it had been brushed against. Following the turn in a long narrow hallway, Leonardo spotted a large metal storm grate built into the floor. Meant to prevent flood waters from filling the room and damaging electrical equipment, the opening spilled directly into the sewers.

Grinning delightedly, Leonardo found that the grate lifted with ease, its hinges giving off no sound whatsoever. They had obviously been greased, and not too long ago, indicating that this was a common route for the younger turtle.

Dropping silently into the low tunnel, Leonardo remained bent over as he traversed a good twenty yards of the conduit before it opened out into the larger sewer system. It was no darker than Leonardo was used to and his eyes quickly adjusted. The first thing they did was to pick out a toe print in the mud and when he stooped to have a look, Leonardo saw several other prints beyond it.

In familiar territory now, Leonardo began jogging after the young turtle, remaining as silent as always so as not to give away his presence. He felt certain that the orange banded youth would not expect that someone would have followed him this far, but he didn't want a sound to send the turtle scurrying away from him again.

The lost boy's scent grew stronger; a fine bouquet that trailed through the center of the tunnel, undiluted by the wet interior. Within moments, Leonardo spotted a flash of orange just ahead of him, lit briefly by the light filtering through another storm drain.

Leonardo could hear the young turtle's footsteps falter and then stop. Taking a chance, the blue banded turtle called out, "Hello?"

Listening carefully, the only sound that answered him was the steady drip of the rain falling into the sewers. At least the young turtle hadn't started running.

Lifting a hand to his injured shoulder, Leonardo stepped into the light. "Are you going to run off and leave me back here to bleed to death?" he asked.

There was the faintest whisper of sound and then nothing. Leonardo waited, sensing that the turtle he pursued had stopped moving altogether.

"How badly are you hurt?" The voice came from a side juncture in the tunnel and Leonardo turned in that direction.

"I can't really tell," Leonardo answered. "There's a wound across my shoulder in the back and I can feel blood."

In all actuality, Leonardo knew the cut was fairly minor, maybe requiring a couple of stitches at the most. He'd had a feeling that the young turtle couldn't leave him if there was a chance that Leonardo was seriously injured.

"I could fix that," the turtle said a trifle hesitantly.

His voice was a bold as his laugh, filled with an exuberance that had been tamped down to suit the current situation. Leonardo had been afraid that hearing him speak for the first time would break the spell of the turtle's allure, but it had the opposite effect.

"I would appreciate it," Leonardo said without moving. "I'd rather not try to make it home in the rain with this wound."

Another couple of minutes passed and Leonardo could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Then the mystery turtle stepped out of the gloom and into the light at its furthest edge.

Leonardo's breath caught in his throat.

TBC…


	6. Part 6

The Lost Boy  
part 6

Leonardo nearly forgot to breathe as he stared at the young turtle in front of him. The lost boy's damp skin gleamed; accentuating the curves of his lean muscle. He was poised for flight; turned slightly sideways the contour of his hip caught and held Leonardo's eyes.

"Turn around," the turtle said; gesturing with his hand to show Leonardo what he wanted him to do.

Doing as he was told, Leonardo was careful to make no sudden movements. He could hear the other turtle moving nearer, his scent quickly becoming stronger, the alluring musk almost dizzying Leonardo.

Light footsteps stopped just outside of leaping distance. "Remove your swords and set them on the ground."

With no hesitation, Leonardo stripped the sheaths from his back, lowering them to the packed earth as requested. He heard the smallest puff of breath leave the other turtle's mouth and knew the younger turtle had just released some of his tension.

"Take your hand off your shoulder and lace the fingers of both hands behind your head," the turtle instructed. "Then get down on your knees and cross your ankles."

"I could still grab you like this," Leonardo said lightly while following directions.

"Sure," the turtle acknowledged, no fright in his voice, "but you can't grab your swords before I get to you and that's all I'm worried about."

His tone held an amused tolerance, as though he didn't doubt his ability to deal with anything Leonardo might attempt.

"I won't try anything," Leonardo promised.

"Darn right you won't, unless you want to fix this cut yourself," the orange banded turtle proclaimed in his intriguing voice.

Leonardo remained absolutely still as he felt the other's breath ghost across his arms. A gentle touch traced Leonardo's injury, sending a tingle of excitement traveling down the length of the elder turtle's spine.

"Hmm, it's not too bad," the turtle said thoughtfully. "The rain washed it out and it had stopped bleeding until you grabbed at it. But then I guess you knew that would happen."

Leonardo didn't mind that he'd been called out for his subterfuge by the perceptive turtle because it had worked.

"Would you have stopped if I hadn't seemed injured?" Leonardo asked.

"I don't know," answered the other, "would you have kept on tracking me?"

Leonardo had a feeling the turtle would know if he lied, so he merely said, "Yes."

"That's what I figured," the turtle said. "I'm thinking you're pretty good at it too. It was easier for me to stop and get some idea of your motives than to have to go topside to get wet enough to hide my scent."

A brief smile flitted across Leonardo's mouth. He should have known that if he could smell the young turtle then he in turn was giving off a scent.

"What would you have done if my character didn't meet your standards?" Leonardo asked.

"What makes you think it has?" the turtle returned.

"You're still here," Leonardo answered.

The turtle laughed, his melodious voice running the scales and titillating Leonardo's very core. "I guess you're lucky I think you might be trustworthy, 'cause otherwise I would have hit you with my nunchucks and put you to sleep."

"Without satisfying your curiosity about me? My brothers and I are the only other mutant turtles in the world, as far we know," Leonardo said.

"I'd guess you're just as curious then," the turtle said. "'Cause here I am and I'm not one of your brothers."

"We don't really know that for certain, now do we?" Leonardo asked softly.

The other turtle went silent. Leonardo knew that he hadn't moved because he could just hear the beating of the lost boy's heart. It had a melody all its own and Leonardo came to think of it as his personal siren's call.

Then the turtle sighed. "I keep telling myself I've lived all these years without knowing about you guys and I can just keep on that way. But I guess I can't. Give your word you won't try anything funny?"

It was an oddly naïve question and Leonardo found it endearing. "You have my word of honor."

"Okay, get up," the turtle said, stepping back as Leonardo gained his feet.

When Leonardo turned around, he saw the other turtle had moved beyond the reach of his swords. "May I put these back on?" Leonardo asked, gesturing towards his katanas.

"Sure," the turtle said with a nonchalant shrug. "You wouldn't leave them if I told you to anyway. Not if you love 'em as much as I love my 'chucks."

Leonardo smiled as he bent to retrieve his weapons. As he strapped them into place, he watched the younger turtle, who was grinning at him in a beguiling manner. His blue eyes shone with a lighthearted mischief that seemed to pull every bit of stress out of Leonardo's body, leaving him feeling extraordinarily relaxed.

"My name is Leonardo. What's yours?" Leonardo asked, wanting to call him something other than lost boy.

The other turtle tilted his head in an almost flirtatious manner and said, "Michelangelo. My playground buddies shortened it to Mikey though, 'cause they said the other was too long."

Leonardo was startled to hear the younger turtle's name. His sensei, on a whim, had named each of his three children after Renaissance artists. The coincidence of this turtle also choosing a moniker from the same period was astounding.

"I'm glad to finally meet you, Mikey," Leonardo said solemnly. "How did you come by your unusual name?"

Mikey's eyes widened a bit, denoting his enthusiasm, a gesture Leonardo found endearing. "The place where I lived had an art room and I liked to go there at night to paint pictures and make things out of clay. I found a book in there about Michelangelo and 'cause he liked to do sorta the same thing, I thought it would be a cool name. I didn't know it was unusual."

"It's all right," Leonardo said quickly. "It suits you."

There was a slight darkening of color along Mikey's collarbones and Leonardo found himself fighting to meet the young turtle's eyes when all he wanted to do was stare at Mikey's bewitching neck.

"I'm glad to meet you too, um, can I call you Leo? Leonardo sounds kinda stiff and proper, like a teacher's name," Mikey said.

Liking the intimate sound of that nickname, Leo said, "Of course. I'd like that, Mikey."

Mikey shuffled his feet a little and then said, "This is really cool and all, but you really should get the wound stitched up before it gets infected. I said I could do it and I will, if you still want me to."

"I would. Thank you," Leo said.

Looking directly at Leo, Mikey's eyes sparkled, making the older turtle catch his breath again. "Maybe you shouldn't thank me until we see if you live through the ordeal."

Leo couldn't help but chuckle, receiving another enchanting laugh in return. Then Mikey turned and beckoned, starting back into the side tunnel from whence he had appeared.

There were so many things that Leo wanted to know about Mikey but he had a feeling he would learn them soon enough. The fact that the young turtle also lived in the sewers was a happy coincidence; after all, how many logical places were there for a mutated turtle to live?

When he stepped into the darkness behind Mikey, Leo drew as close to his companion as possible without actually invading the turtle's space. The urge to boldly inhale a lungful of his scent was extraordinarily strong, as was the desire to reach out and caress Mikey's sea green skin. It was the most intense feeling Leo had ever had.

Leo had absolutely no idea why such overwhelming needs had suddenly appeared, but he knew that Michelangelo's arrival in his life had triggered them. Perhaps Raphael had been right in saying that this young turtle was a potential mate, angering Leo by voicing something that the older turtle hadn't wanted to admit.

The cavalier way that Leo had tossed aside his shell cell was certainly evidence that something other than common sense was taking control of him. At the moment he didn't much care.

Leonardo had caught the elusive lost boy, although Mikey didn't actually know that yet. He would lead Leo to his home and Leo would learn about Mikey's origins. Then Leo would find a way to remain in the young turtle's life.

Permanently.

TBC…


	7. Part 7

The Lost Boy  
part 7

Mikey led Leo through the equivalent of seven city blocks worth of sewer tunnels before reaching what appeared to be a large drainage pipe set two feet above the surface of the sewer floor.

Stopping in front of it, Mikey grinned at Leo and said, "You don't actually have to crawl to get through here, but you will have to bend pretty far over. Keep your shell up and your shoulders down so you don't lose skin on the concrete."

With that said, Mikey fished a small pencil flashlight from his belt, turning it on before wrapping his mouth around the unlit end. Leo had to pull his mind off of how perfectly Mikey's lips curved around the casing in order to pay attention to what the young turtle was doing.

Mikey grabbed the bottom edge of the concrete pipe and boosted himself up and into the opening, disappearing quickly. Leo followed his example, finding that if he bent nearly double and turned a bit to the side, he could walk through the pipe.

The tiny pinpoint of light that Mikey was using to illuminate their way was just enough to show Leo that the old pipe had been patched with layers of fresh concrete fairly recently, no doubt Mikey's handiwork.

The pipe gradually sloped upwards and Leo remained close to Mikey. After traveling a little ways inside, Leo found his focus had shifted to Mikey's tail, watching in fascination as the small appendage wiggled periodically, proving that it was as excitable as its owner. When Leo began to feel like Mikey's tail was hypnotizing him, he pulled his gaze away only to have his eyes travel over to Mikey's solid yet shapely rear end.

Before Leo's traitorous imagination had the chance to cause him difficulties, Mikey climbed through a wide opening overhead. When Leo reached it, he did likewise, coming up through a layer of earth, concrete, and then broken blue tiles.

Leo found himself standing in a rather old fashioned restroom; the urinals that lined the walls telling him it was a men's room. The place that he had come up through had been where the floor drain was located, widened to turtle size, probably by Michelangelo.

He looked back up to see Mikey walking through a doorless archway and Leo quickly went after him. The men's room opened into a spacious area with tiled floors, wide wooden support beams, curved brick archways, and brick and mortar walls covered in faded murals. Sturdily built wooden benches occupied a section of the space and to one side was a short fence beyond which stood an enclosed wooden booth, as long and wide as a railway car.

On the opposite side of the space, just past the benches, an expanse of steps went down to a subway platform.

Mikey was standing in the center of the space, his hands on his hips as he watched Leo look around. When Leo finally turned back to the young turtle, Mikey said, "It's an old subway station. They built the new one practically on top of it and instead of trying to fill this in with something, they just reinforced the flooring system. I guess they did a good job, I can't hear anything from above and it hasn't fallen on my head yet."

Leo noticed that there were fresh murals on the walls, all of them depicting various scenes from throughout the city. "Did you paint these?" he asked.

Mikey looked slightly embarrassed. "Yeah. The place needed some color."

The paintings were indeed vibrant and filled with both life and movement. Leo was no art expert, but he knew fine work when he saw it. Each scene seemed to come alive as Leo examined it; he could almost see the cold breath puff from a horse's mouth and hear the jangle of the bells that were slung along the sides of the carriage it pulled.

"These are incredible," Leo murmured, rather awestruck at the young turtle's talent. "I would say you've done your namesake proud."

"Thank you," Mikey said quietly. "Except for my chalk drawings, no one's ever seen my work before."

"Have you lived here all your life?" Leo asked. The space had touches of Mikey's personality, but not as much as Leo would have expected given Mikey's apparent age.

"Nope," Mikey said with a grin. "This is my new home. I found out about it in an old book that was in the school library and thought I'd see if it was still here."

Playground. Teacher's name. Art room. Pieces of the puzzle were falling into place. "School?" Leo asked.

"Hang on a sec while I get my first aid stuff," Mikey said, bouncing away on his toes. "Go ahead and sit anywhere, I'll be right back."

As Mikey disappeared into what Leo now recognized as ticket booths, the older turtle walked over to a bench and sat down. A lot of the space was dusty, dirty, and covered in cobwebs, but there were also areas that had obviously been carefully cleaned. The tile floors with their gigantic star patterns had been not only swept but mopped as well and shone from the effort. The wooden benches had been repaired and gleamed under a fresh coat of lacquer.

Leo also noticed that there were lights in the cavernous space and realized that Mikey had hung various sizes and shapes of workmen's lights around the interior. Glancing towards the ticket booths, Leo saw that it was even brighter in there, and the familiar flickering from one section could only mean that Mikey had a television.

When Mikey came out, he was carrying a big plastic box and a bottle of soda. Setting the box on the bench next to Leo, he offered the older turtle the bottle.

"I hope you like pop," Mikey said a little shyly. "I've got some bottled water if you'd rather have that."

Leo normally avoided sugary drinks, but Mikey was so obviously proud of his manners that the blue banded turtle accepted the soda politely. "Thank you, this is fine," he said.

"'Kay," Mikey said, his bright mood returning. "Let's get that wound fixed up."

He crossed behind Leo and while Mikey snapped the top of his first aid kit open, Leo removed his katanas so they wouldn't be in the younger turtle's way.

"From the scars you've got, I'm gonna guess this won't be the first set of stitches you've ever had," Mikey said. "I hope you're not used to painkillers, 'cause I don't have any."

"No, I don't take them unless my brother's insist," Leo said, feeling the sting of the antiseptic that Mikey was using. "Where did you learn first aid?"

"From books and tv," Mikey said simply. "I didn't have anybody to patch me up when I got hurt or sick, so I knew I had to figure it out really quick. I've gotten pretty good with stitches; if you're patient I can make them small and tight so this'll barely scar."

"I'm patient; take your time," Leo said, in no hurry to leave the younger turtle's proximity. "Where did you get the electricity from?"

Mikey glanced up at the lights, then returned to threading a needle. "I have a generator. And before you ask, that came from the same place most of my stuff came from, including the mini-fridge where I keep the soda. My school."

It was the second time Michelangelo had mentioned a school and as Leo felt the first prick of the needle going into his skin, he asked, "Mikey, tell me about how you grew up and where."

"You want my life story?" Mikey asked facetiously.

"I would like to hear it, yes," Leo answered. "It might help to clear up some of the mystery about our origins."

"Okay," Mikey said lightly. "I'll sew and talk and you be still and listen. Let me know if you get bored."

The lilting sound of Mikey's voice so near his head was something Leo knew he would never grow tired of hearing. He wasn't quite ready to admit that to the younger turtle, so he took a sip of the soda his host had so thoughtfully supplied and said, "I guarantee it won't bore me."

"Well, just remember you asked for it," Mikey said with a laugh.

As Mikey began speaking, Leo half closed his eyes in concentration, determined to memorize every word the lost boy uttered. It was important to him that whatever Michelangelo had experienced, Leo come as close as possible to experiencing it as well.

TBC…


	8. Part 8

The Lost Boy  
part 8

"Wow, where to start?" Mikey asked himself thoughtfully as he placed careful stitches in Leo's shoulder, drawing the bullet wound closed. "I suppose the beginning is always the best, that way I won't forget anything or have to jump around in my story."

"Your earliest memory," Leo murmured to encourage him.

Mikey laughed. "My first memory is waking up inside a kid's backpack. It was about the point where I had started changing and I got too big for the thing. When I finally managed to crawl out of it I found myself in a large, colorful room. There were a couple of brightly colored rugs on the floor, tables with colorful plastic bins on them, multi-colored tubs in the corners, and well, pretty much everywhere I looked there was color. I figured out later it was a school, but of course right then I didn't know a darn thing.

"I take that back; I did know I was hungry. Something inside the backpack had smelled pretty good, so I dug around inside and found a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I bit into the plastic wrap before I realized I had to take it off; I don't recommend eating plastic by the way, it was nasty."

Leo chuckled softly, so enamored of the young turtle's voice he barely felt the needle piercing his skin.

"Of course after I ate the peanut butter I got so thirsty I almost panicked. There was a potted plant in one corner and fortunately someone had overwatered it. The catch basin underneath was full and believe me, even filled with dirt that water tasted good.

"I was pretty tired then and really confused. I found a crate full of clothes; costumes that the kids used for playing dress up, so I crawled in and burrowed down until I felt warm. The sound of voices woke me up and when I peeked through the holes in the side of the crate I saw that my colorful room was full of giants," Mikey said in a suitably dramatic tone.

"The school kids?" Leo asked.

"Yeah. I didn't know what they were 'cause they sure didn't look like me, so I stayed in that crate all day. I was too scared to move and I'm lucky I guess, 'cause they didn't need anything out of my crate.

"I finally came out after everything had been dark and quiet for a really long time. I had grown a little more during the day and that crate wasn't gonna cut it as a hiding spot anymore. Finding a place to hide was my first priority and then locating some food was a close second, 'cause I was starving.

"Since I didn't know if I could find another soft spot to sleep in, I took a big, thick jacket out of a chair where some kid had left it. It had deep pockets so I grabbed a couple of other things I thought I could use and stuffed them in the jacket, but I couldn't find any food. Thankfully, someone in that classroom was intent on drowning that plant 'cause they'd overwatered it again and I could at least quench my thirst," Mikey said.

"Your instincts are very good," Leo said.

Mikey clicked his teeth with his tongue and said, "If you mean I have a will to survive then yeah, I guess so. All I remember is thinking I needed a place that was too small for the giants to get into. I dragged the jacket with me as I searched for a way out of that room and I got lucky again 'cause the heating vent in the floor had a loose grate.

"I pushed it aside and almost didn't go in 'cause it was really dark down there. Fortunately the heat was off and when I yelled the sound echoed back to me, so I knew that big opening went somewhere.

"I shoved the jacket in first so I'd have something soft to land on. That worked out to be a good idea, cause the heating shaft was pretty steep and without the jacket slowing me down, I would have built up too much momentum for a safe landing."

"That was still quite a chance to take," Leo observed.

"I figured staying in that room was worse," Mikey said honestly. "Anyway, I wound up in the boiler room. It was a lot warmer in there than in the classroom and behind some pipes I found a nice dark corner to hide in. That was enough adventure for one night, so I crawled onto my jacket and went to sleep.

"I'm not sure if it was my grumbling stomach or the janitor coming in to work that woke me up. Maybe I could sense that he had food. He left his lunch pail sitting under a bench so he could grab some supplies. Before he left he got his thermos out and drank some coffee and when he put it back in to the pail, he didn't close it properly and I could smell the food.

"After he went upstairs, I snuck out and snagged everything I could get my hands on; I even drank the rest of the coffee, although it tasted yucky. Dude, I was seriously bouncing off the walls later."

His light laughter made Leo join in, the older turtle's imagination supplying a picture of a young Michelangelo made hyper by caffeine.

"What happened when the janitor came back and found that his lunch was missing?" Leo asked.

"He said some words that I have since learned not to repeat," Mikey said humorously, "and then he started looking around. I was fortunate 'cause he didn't look all that hard; I guess he figured some kid took it and they were all obviously upstairs. After that I figured out that even though the boiler room was a nice warm place to stay, the humans liked it too.

"I started exploring again and found a blocked off maintenance panel that was behind some old school equipment. It didn't seem like anyone had been near their in like, forever. I was pretty small still, but to my mind that panel looked like a door so I pried it open. There was a metal ladder behind the panel and when I climbed down I was in a sub-basement. It was super dirty and full of cobwebs, but to me that just meant no humans ever came down there.

"The sub-basement was huge and I picked out a section that was far from my access ladder so if anyone did come down, they wouldn't see my home. Little by little I brought things down and barricaded my area so no random visitor would find me."

"That had to have been very difficult," Leo said, remembering his early years and their hardships. He had gone through them with a father to guide and protect him; Michelangelo had no one.

"Yeah, but it wasn't like I had a choice," Mikey said. "I knew from that first couple of days that I didn't look like anybody else and my instincts took care of the rest. I explored the school every night after everyone left and believe me, it didn't take long for me to find the cafeteria. That was the mother lode, dude! There was always food there and so much of it that no one ever missed what I took. I didn't even have to worry about starving when school was out for the summer 'cause they had a breakfast and lunch program year round."

Mikey had finished sewing Leo's wound at this point and he carefully bandaged the patch job. He came around the bench and sat next to Leo, extracting an antibiotic hand wipe from his kit and thoroughly cleaning his hands.

Leo rotated his shoulder slowly, noting that the stitches didn't pull at the wound. The only other individual who did such a good job at stitching was his brother Donatello, and he'd had years of practice.

"This feels good," Leo said. "I can't feel the stitches at all."

Mikey smiled his pleasure at the compliment. "Just don't forget about them. Try not to get them wet or do anything strenuous until it has a chance to heal. But I guess you already knew that."

Leo nodded his acknowledgement. "I've been hurt a few times."

"No duh," Mikey said. "So, are you bored yet?"

"Far from it," Leo told him, settling back against the bench.

Mikey's eyes followed the soda bottle as Leo lifted it to his mouth. After taking a swig, Leo held it out to the young turtle. Grinning, Mikey accepted the bottle and took a long pull from it before handing it back.

"I've got more," Mikey said, "I'm just being lazy."

Leo returned the smile, his head swimming from Mikey's nearness. When the younger turtle had tilted his head back to drink, Leo had an almost irresistible urge to launch himself at Mikey's long, muscular throat. To stop himself, he had lifted his eyes to Mikey's mouth, which had been pressed against the lip of the bottle. That sight had caused a familiar tightness below Leo's beltline.

"How long did you live in the school? How did you survive?" Leo asked, his curiosity piqued by Mikey's story.

"Aren't you tired of listening to me?" Mikey asked without guile.

"Not even close," Leo said truthfully.

Mikey shifted on the bench. "Well, get comfortable then."

Taking a deep breath, Mikey started into his story once more. Leo stretched an arm across the back of the bench as he relaxed, his eyes fixed on Mikey's face. Lifting the bottle to his mouth once more, Leo discreetly ran his tongue around the lip, imaging that he could taste Mikey there.

The young turtle didn't appear to notice that Leo was gently tracing the grooves in his carapace as Mikey talked. For Leo, it was almost as if he had his arms around Mikey.

TBC…


	9. Part 9

The Lost Boy  
part 9

"I guess apart from food my biggest problem was staying warm," Mikey said, continuing his story. He was staring at the far wall as memories clouded his vision. "The sub-basement was pretty cold in the winter. Fortunately, kids were always forgetting their outer wear and I snagged what I could get my hands on. If it was big enough to fit me I wore it, otherwise I used it to make a bed out of, a really soft and warm bed."

"Those human clothes must have come in handy as disguises as well," Leo observed, his fingers still idly following the pattern of Mikey's carapace.

"Heck yeah they did," Mikey said brightly. "There were a few times when the janitor came back to the building in the evening and almost busted me wandering around. He might've called the cops if he'd spotted a big green turtle running through the halls, but he always thought I was just some kid who got in somehow. He'd yell 'hey, kid' and come after me, but he was too fat and too slow to catch me."

Mikey's laugh was infectious and Leo joined him, a mental picture of Mikey as a tot zipping through hallways with an enormous fat man after him delighting Leo's imagination.

"So there was this one time when I was exploring and I heard something that sounded like people talking behind this big door," Mikey said after a moment. "At first I thought someone was still in the school but it was really late at night. Lights kept flashing from inside that room too; I could see them under the door, but none of the other lights was on.

"I stayed there and listened for a while and finally got so curious I couldn't stand it anymore. I knew I could outrun anybody who might be in there, so I eased the door open and peeked inside.

"Turned out it was the teacher's lounge and someone had left the television on. It was like the coolest thing ever. I sat on the floor and finished watching the news 'cause that's what was on, then this old western movie followed that and stuff just kept playing. I saw this commercial where a man pointed something at a TV so he could change to a different show and when I looked around, I found the remote. After I played with it I figured out how to go up and down on the channels and the volume by using the arrows, but none of the other buttons made sense."

"You couldn't read," Leo said softly.

Mikey smiled at him, nearly melting Leo's heart. "Nope. But you know what? That was a Friday night and Saturday morning I found some cartoons and then later when I changed channels I came across Sesame Street."

"You learned your alphabet," Leo guessed.

"I did," Mikey said, wiggling in excitement. "They showed Sesame Street a lot on that channel and I watched it every chance I got. I learned my alphabet and my numbers and all kinds of things. Like how to wash myself and brush my teeth, and to not eat only cookies, even though Cookie Monster is still my favorite character."

Leo couldn't help but laugh again; Michelangelo was such an intriguing mixture of brilliance and naiveté that the older turtle was sure there was no one else like him in the world.

"There were other shows too, ones that taught me how to string letters together to make words, and how to sound stuff out. There were even shows where people would read to you from a book. I remembered seeing those in the schoolrooms and in another big room that I learned was the library," Mikey said.

"So you are completely self-taught?" Leo asked in some amazement.

"Totally dude," Mikey answered. "It was an elementary school so the books were all separated into reading levels. I just started with the easiest ones first and kept going. The awesome thing about the books was that I could take them into the sub-basement with me so I'd having something to do while the kids were in the school."

"Wasn't it dark down there?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, it was dark, but I found this big flashlight in the teacher's lounge and I kept it. Turned out all of the teachers had a flashlight in their desks, so whenever I needed light bulbs or batteries, I'd trade my old ones for their good ones.

"That school was an awesome place to live," Mikey said with a hint of melancholy. "Everything I needed was there; I even figured out how to vent some of the boiler room's warmth down into my sub-basement shelter when I got a little older."

"Weren't you lonely?" Leo could not imagine anyone as vivacious as Michelangelo appeared to be managing to live in total isolation.

"Sometimes," Mikey admitted, "but whenever it was cold I could bundle up and go outside. There was a basketball court in the schoolyard and there were almost always some kids playing there; even after dark. I made friends with some of them and learned to play basketball and some other games. One of the boys even taught me how to skateboard and he was so impressed that I picked it up really fast that he gave me his old skateboard for keeps.

"It wasn't all good in the schoolyard though. Most of the kids that went to school there lived in the neighborhood, but there were other kids, older kids, who weren't very nice. Those bullies would come to the schoolyard sometimes and pick on the younger kids. They liked pushing the little ones around and they were always robbing them of whatever money they had."

He was silent for a moment, lost in thought, and Leo contemplated Mikey, noting a touch of sadness in his expression. Leo saw something else as well, there was a hint of anger in the way Mikey was holding his mouth and in a flash of insight Leo believed he'd discovered the answer to another of his questions.

The desire to hold and comfort Mikey was warring inside of Leo; he knew it was too soon to attempt anything so provocative, but the younger turtle had awakened a protective instinct in Leo.

"You had to learn to fight, didn't you?" Leo finally asked, his tone gentle.

Mikey glanced up at him; his blue eyes a shade darker than normal as his personal demons came to the surface.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "I sure did."

TBC…..


	10. Part 10

The Lost Boy  
part 10

Leo offered the soda bottle to Mikey, who accepted it with a tight smile. He sipped at it and Leo watched his Adam's apple bob as the cooling liquid slid down his throat.

When he was done, Mikey lifted a hand to cover a soft burp and returned the nearly empty bottle to Leo. "Sorry dude, I think I drank more than you did. Can I get you another?"

Leo shook his head, leaning the bottle on the seat next to him. "Maybe later. I think you're about to tell me of a rough point in your life and probably one you need to talk through."

Mikey's eyes met his for a long moment and Leo felt like he was drowning in them. Trying to deny that he was falling hard for this lost boy would have been futile; Leonardo was the kind who always faced reality head on.

"Yeah, it actually does feel kinda good to tell my story to someone," Mikey admitted. "You're a really good listener and that thing you're doing to my shell is pretty relaxing. Is that some kinda ninja trick?"

If it weren't for the years he'd spent learning to maintain a poker face under any circumstance, Leo might have given away his embarrassment for being caught. He thought he was touching Mikey's carapace lightly enough so it wouldn't be noticed, but he must have gotten a bit carried away.

"Partly that, partly curiosity," Leo said truthfully. "I suppose I wanted to know if your carapace was the same as mine."

"'Cause it's smaller, right?" Mikey asked. "I noticed that too."

"I'll stop if it's distracting you," Leo offered.

"You don't have to," Mikey said, his face changing color the tiniest bit. "It's kinda soothing to be honest."

In response, Leo smiled and flattened him palm on Mikey's carapace, letting his fingers boldly dip into the grooves. He was careful not to press down too hard being well aware of how sensitive the spaces between scutes could be.

Seeing the look on Mikey's face as he contemplated the next part of his story, Leo told him gently, "Take your time."

Nodding, Mikey sat quietly for a minute and then took a breath. "I guess this part of my story starts out like most kids' does; at some point in your life you run up against someone who is just plain mean and likes to prove it. My first experience was in the schoolyard with those bullies."

Mikey laughed shortly and went on, "They weren't even after me; I was really good at not being seen when I didn't want to be and when those guys came around I usually vanished. The other kids learned to do that too but this one night my skateboard buddy didn't move fast enough.

"There were three of them and one of them grabbed Carlos' skateboard. Carlos didn't have much but that new skateboard was everything to him and he wasn't gonna leave without it. When he tried to get it back, they started pushing him, you know, bouncing him between them and laughing. They said they were holding it for ransom and if he didn't pay they'd take the skateboard and pawn it."

Leo frowned as he pictured the scene Mikey was describing. He understood all too well that bully mindset; those boys would grow up to be thugs, thieves, or worse. Sometimes a good hard dose of intervention helped, but there weren't enough people who were willing to dish out that kind of medicine. Except for Leonardo and his brothers. And Mikey.

"Carlos yelled at them to give it back, that it was his and he wasn't gonna pay to get his own property back. Then he said the worse thing ever; he told them he was gonna call the cops. He said he knew their names and that he'd make sure they all got sent to juvie.

"That's when one of them shoved him down. I heard them say they'd make sure he never told the cops anything 'cause no one liked a squealer. Dude, I was never so scared in my whole life, not even when I was starving or freezing half to death. I was just sure they were gonna kill Carlos.

"I knew I couldn't hide anymore. One of those guys kicked Carlos in his side and I lost it. I was still scared, but I was also pissed off, you know? Carlos was my friend; I'm pretty sure he knew I was different but he didn't care. There was no way I was gonna let them kill him even if I got killed trying to help.

"I didn't have a clue how to fight but I knew I was at least as strong as they were because of my mutation. Instead of trying to go for all of them at once, I ran straight for the leader. He didn't even hear me coming until I was right on top of him."

Mikey's eyes were shining as the raw excitement of that memory came back to him. Leo reached between them and picked up the medical kit, setting it on the ground so that he could slide a little closer to the younger turtle. Mikey followed his movements but didn't seem to mind, nor did he protest when Leo took his hand and gave it a light squeeze.

"My momentum and body weight flattened him and then I just started swinging at anything I could hit. One of his buddies kicked me, but he got my carapace instead of my body. He was wearing sneakers and I think it broke his toe.

"Then I could feel the other two grabbing at me and dragging me off their leader. One of them hit me so hard I saw stars and then it was me on the ground getting whaled on. They were hitting me and kicking me and yelling stuff I couldn't even really hear. But when their leader said they were gonna kill me, well I heard that.

"I thought I was dead for sure. My head felt like somebody ran a car over it. Then Carlos got up and cracked his skateboard across the leader's back. Dude, he shrieked so loud I was positive they could hear him in Manhattan."

Mikey was chuckling and Leo smiled, although his heart hurt at the thought of Michelangelo so young and alone taking such an enormous risk for a friend. If he had been badly hurt, he couldn't have gone to a doctor like the humans did.

"Were you injured?" Leo asked.

"Actually I was lucky," Mikey said. "I kept my arms up to protect my skull and all those layers of clothes helped too, but mostly my shell saved me. They did hit my face a few times and I had a nasty black eye for a week; it was so puffy I could hardly see out of it."

His smile disappeared as quickly as it came then. "Carlos had a broken arm and a couple of busted ribs though. And of course his skateboard was totaled. I offered to give his old one back but he said no, having a skateboard just invited the bad kids to pick on you. I felt really sad about that but the worst was that his mom said he couldn't play on the schoolyard anymore. I think they moved a little while after that 'cause I didn't even see him in school."

Mikey looked up again. "You know what Leo? In less than a week those bullies were back again, only instead of three there were five of them. They ruined everything. Nobody wanted to play with them around. The only chance I ever got to really be with other people was spoiled. They sat around smoking cigarettes and throwing trash everywhere, and then they started painting symbols on stuff. Things that used to look neat and clean were messed up."

For the first time since Leo had come to know Mikey he heard bitterness in the lost boy's voice.

"It is the nature of miserable people to want to spread their misery," Leo said.

"I'm sure that's true, but that doesn't apply to everyone in that position," Mikey said. "I've never had anything but I don't want to steal things from people or try to hurt them for the fun of it. I'll tell you what I did want to do after that night; I wanted to learn how to protect myself better.

"I looked through all the books in the library and found a few about boxing and martial arts. You've gotta remember, it was an elementary school, so there weren't very many books on the subject, but I read all of them. I also found some DVD's in the library on beginning and intermediate Tai Chi and I started practicing it. That wasn't really fighting, but it felt good and helped with my balance, flexibility, and breathing."

Mikey was starting to appear excited again and his exuberance was contagious as Leo's pulse quickened.

"Did something else happen?" Leo asked, prodding the youngster. Mikey's story had completely captivated him and he found he couldn't wait for it to continue.

"Dude," Mikey breathed out in something that sounded like awe. "I'll say something happened. I was sitting in the lounge one night watching TV and this movie came on. After the first couple of minutes I was hooked and didn't move off my chair the entire time it was playing. I think I about eight years old by then and I'd never seen anybody do what the man in this movie could do. He changed me forever."

Leo's eye ridges lowered as he was now thoroughly intrigued. "What movie was it?" he asked.

"Enter the Dragon," Mikey said. "Starring Bruce Lee."

TBC….


	11. Part 11

The Lost Boy  
part 11

Those six words brought with them sudden understanding. Leo's eyes flicked down from Michelangelo's face to the twin nunchakus in his belt.

"I guess you've seen the movie too," Mikey said with a smile as Leo looked up again.

A corner of Leo's mouth rose as he said, "You didn't learn everything you know from a movie."

"Nah," Mikey said, waving the idea away with a flip of his hand. "It wasn't even the way he used weapons that drew me at first; it was the way he moved. He didn't look all that big, but he could put so much power into a single punch and then somehow manage to avoid getting hit. I wanted to know how he did that and I kind of started obsessing about it.

"I had a problem though because the only thing I could find out about Lee was from a reference in the library's encyclopedia. Then the next night that same TV channel had another of Lee's movies and the following night still another. It was an all week marathon. On Saturday they showed the same movies again, back to back, and I hardly left the teacher's lounge.

"By that time I had memorized whole segments of some of the fight scenes and I'd run through the school hallways practicing them. Lots of times I landed flat on my butt and my tail took a beating 'cause I didn't know it was supposed to take years of training to master certain moves. All I knew is that my body could do what Lee's did if I copied him exactly."

Leo was studying Mikey's face intently as the younger turtle talked, Mikey's exuberance contagious. Because Leo was so close to Mikey, the orange banded turtle's scent was very nearly intoxicating and it took an incredible amount of will-power for Leo not to bury his face in Mikey's neck.

Despite his overwhelming physical attraction to Mikey, Leo was still just as fascinated by the young turtle's story.

"When we practice ninjitsu we do exactly the same thing," Leo told him. "We have certain movements that we perform over and over, forms that we learn from our Master and then train with them until we are perfect."

"I learned that later," Mikey said with a twinkle in his eyes. "As a matter of fact, I probably wouldn't have had the chance to learn anything more than what I could get from old movies except for the fact that our school finally joined the computer age."

"You gained access to the internet?" Leo asked.

"Dude, I thought TV was the greatest thing ever, but the World Wide Web blew my mind," Mikey said, eyes wide. "I had to lay kind of low for a few days 'cause these computer guys were all over the building during and after school hours. I knew what computers were from watching movies, but I didn't know how to use one and I decided I wanted to learn. The air shafts had become my own personal freeway by the time I was three; they hardly ever turned on the air conditioner and a different set of shafts sent heat up through the floor grates. I'd crawl through the air shafts to whichever class I wanted to watch and then spy on the kids and teachers through the vents.

"I spied on the computer guy while he taught the school librarian how to log on to her new computer and then when he walked her through all of the different functions. After school that day I snuck into the library so I could try out the new toy."

Leonardo couldn't help but laugh at the reference and when Mikey gave him a puzzled look, Leo said, "One of my brothers, Donatello, is a genius, the real kind. A new computer is exactly his idea of a 'toy'."

"Oh," Mikey said, suddenly looking a little shy again. "Which brother was that one?"

"Donatello wears a purple mask and uses the bo staff," Leo explained. "Raphael sports a red mask and a temper to match. He's an extremely adept fighter and an expert with the sai."

"Aren't they going to start wondering where you are?" Mikey asked, his concern obvious.

He had seemed relaxed until Leo had mentioned his brothers. Mikey was watching Leo with trepidation, slowly withdrawing his hand from Leo's and sliding a little further from him. As Mikey turned slightly so that he could face Leo, the shift caused Leo to lose contact with the younger turtle's shell.

Careful to make no quick movements, Leo replied, "I called them on my cell phone and told them I was going to follow you and that they should return to our home. They aren't coming here, if that's what is worrying you."

Mikey appeared to be thinking that over before giving Leo a timid smile. "I'm being rude by not offering you something to eat. I've got peanut butter and crackers; they really taste good together, and I can bring you some water. I can tell you aren't a big fan of pop."

Leo was loathe to let the young turtle move so far away from him, but he sensed the return of Mikey's initial discomfort and recognized that Mikey needed to do something constructive.

"That all sounds good," Leo said. "Now that you mention it, I am a little hungry."

Mikey stood up. "Okay, give me a few minutes."

As he walked towards the ticket booths, Leo's eyes followed him. He didn't see anything stiff or different in Mikey's demeanor so Leo was sure the youngster wasn't planning to run off.

Leo felt the loss of Mikey's presence keenly after the other turtle had left. Having managed to make a physical connection, Leo wanted nothing more than to further explore having a relationship with Mikey. The young turtle had found a level of comfort with Leo, but when Raphael and Donatello were thrust into the picture, Mikey had quickly thrown up barriers.

There had to be something that Leonardo could do to assuage Michelangelo's fears with regards to the other turtles. Keeping Mikey all to himself for a while was appealing, but eventually the orange banded turtle would need to meet the only other two mutated turtles in existence.

Leo got up and walked over to study another of Mikey's murals. This one was a depiction of a typical New York street scene at night just before the stores closed. People bustled along the sidewalks and in and out of shops, or just stood together on street corners in conversation. The impression of movement and activity was extremely lifelike in this piece as well, Leo could almost see the door swinging shut behind a patron.

Something about the street seemed familiar and Leo leaned in closer, recognizing a small flower shop that he himself passed frequently. Feeling his pulse quicken, Leo's eyes followed the sidewalk to the lower end of the mural, which grew smaller as though the scene was pictured through the middle of a glass.

There Leo found what he thought he might see, very small but still quite clear, a shop with a sign over it that read "2nd time Around".

He heard Mikey come out of the ticket booths, which were apparently his primary habitat, and pivoted to watch the youngster set a tray of snacks on the bench where they'd been sitting.

"Do you know this neighborhood well?" Leo asked, pointing at the mural.

Mikey walked over to stand next to Leo, who turned around to contemplate the mural with his host.

"Yeah, pretty well," Mikey said. "I don't know why I like it so much; I guess 'cause it's not so high toned but not real run down either. It's more like a family kind of area full of friendly people. Not that I'd know that first hand being that I can't exactly mingle."

"I know someone who lives there," Leo said, careful not to point out April O'Neil's shop. "We've been friends with her for years. Maybe I can introduce you sometime."

"Is she safe?" Mikey asked, his apprehension showing.

"Very safe," Leo assured him. "She's like a sister to us."

"Can I think about it?" Mikey asked.

Leo's expression softened as he reached out to set a hand on the younger turtle's shoulder. "Of course," Leo told him. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do, Michelangelo. I can understand how hard it must be to have lived such an isolated existence. It's difficult to learn to trust someone and be comfortable with them."

Mikey's blue eyes were twin pools of warmth as they bathed Leonardo in their glow. "I'm comfortable with you," he said softly.

Leo swallowed and quickly squeezed Mikey's shoulder to hide the excited tremor that ran through his body. Gaining Mikey's trust was the most important thing in the world to him at the moment, and he was determined not to make the slightest misstep in attaining his goal.

"How about we have a snack and you finish the rest of your story?" Leo suggested, removing his hand from Mikey's shoulder.

"Okay," Mikey chirped agreeably, leading the way back to the bench.

As Leo followed, his eyes swept the sea green form in front of him from head to foot. Things were going well, but there were hurdles that had to be overcome. The first was Mikey's anxious reaction at the mere mention of Leonardo's brothers.

Leo wanted Mikey for his mate, but that wasn't going to happen if the young turtle refused to interact with the rest of Leo's family.

TBC…


	12. Part 12

The Lost Boy  
part 12

Leo twisted the cap off his water bottle and took a large swallow from it as Mikey sat down nearby. He wasn't as close to Leo as he'd been earlier, but that was due to the platter of crackers covered in peanut butter that was strategically placed between them.

Mikey lifted the platter and offered the snack to Leo, who smiled and accepted a cracker. Once Leo had taken a bite, Mikey put the platter on the bench and helped himself to a cracker as well, polishing it off fast by popping the entire thing into his mouth.

It made Leo a little sad to think that this was probably how Mikey had learned to eat; by stuffing as much as possible into the first bite. Food had been hard to come by for Leo and his family when they were younger, but at least once it was on the table they didn't have to worry that someone would interrupt and steal their meal.

"So, Mikey," Leo began as he watched the youngster wash the cracker down with water, "you started to tell me about the new computers that were installed in your school."

"Oh yeah," Mikey said and then grinned. "My first time on the computer made me feel like I was hatched again. I got the terminal turned on with no problem, but it wouldn't let me do anything except look up books and take the advanced readers test. 'Course I knew it had to do more than that and then I remembered the computer guy telling the librarian about special passwords.

"Mrs. Manx was probably as old as the school and she could remember everything about books, but her memory wasn't so great on other stuff. I figured she'd write her password down someplace where it'd be easy to find so the first place I looked was under the keyboard. Sure enough, she'd taped her password and access code on the underside.

"Once I typed those in, the computer took me to one of those search engines. The first thing I looked up was how to use a computer and then information for surfing the net. Did you know that just about everything you could possibly want to find out about is in the computer somewhere?"

Leo smiled. "Yes, I did. I don't access ours very much though; I don't have a lot of luck with machines. They tend to malfunction when I'm around." He was careful not to mention his brothers again, waiting instead for a time when it felt more natural.

"I've got a laptop, but it's not in the best shape," Mikey said. "So maybe you shouldn't touch it."

This time Leo chuckled. "No problem, Mikey. I'll stay far away from it."

Mikey laughed too and grabbed another cracker. Leo helped himself as well, not that he was all that hungry, but because he knew it made Mikey happy to be able to play the perfect host.

"You sure can lose track of time when you're on a computer," Mikey continued somewhat wistfully, then he asked shyly, "Does that happen to your brother Donatello?"

"Yes it does," Leo answered, ecstatic that Mikey seemed less nervous on the subject of at least one of his brothers. "He sometimes forgets to eat and I often have to remind him to sleep." A sudden idea came to Leo and he asked, "Could you come up with a nickname for Donatello like you did for me? You have a real gift for that."

Mikey's eyes sparkled at the compliment and he appeared to be thinking. "Actually, I can think of a couple of nicknames for him. Maybe Donny, 'cause that has a more nerdy ring to it, or Don 'cause it sounds older."

"Hmm," Leo hummed, thinking about the nicknames. "Honestly, I like both. I could do the same with your name too you know. Mikey is more intimate and suits your carefree personality, but you're more of a Mike when you're deep into a battle. You seem very determined during a fight."

"I guess that's 'cause I am," Mikey said in a more serious manner. "I suppose everyone has to have something that drives them and that first playground fight gave me mine. The computer gave me a path to learning how to defend myself that I probably wouldn't have ever found anywhere else.

"After I figured out how to move around on the internet I could hardly wait for the end of school each day so I could spend the night on the computer. Right away I knew I shouldn't leave any kind of trace that I'd been on the school computer, so I learned how to delete my search history and a how to wipe out a few other things that would tell someone that Mrs. Manx wasn't the only one using that machine.

"I pretty much devoured everything I could find about fighting and especially about martial arts. I trained alongside the different tutorials; it really helps to be able to watch someone performing a move when you're trying to figure out how to do it.

"Bruce Lee is kinda my hero," Mikey said, the color on his neck rising becomingly once again. "I found a couple of biographies about his life and read them along with everything else I could find, including his poetry. His philosophy about martial arts seems to suit my personality best, 'cause he found out early on that most styles are too rigid to be practical during street fighting."

"I did notice during the fight with the Dragons that your style is very unorthodox," Leo said softly.

Mikey flashed him a smile. "I just do what Lee did; take the best of every fighting technique, including boxing, and string it all together into something that works for me. No parameters, no limitations."

"Your smaller carapace aids in your mobility as well," Leo observed.

"Yeah, but you don't seem to have any trouble moving around either," Mikey said with a look of intense admiration. "You're a really good fighter; way better than me I think, and a really good tracker. I'll bet you're good at most things. I've never, _ever_ seen anyone fight with matching katanas before, not even in the movies."

Leo had never had anyone look at him the way that Michelangelo was and Leo felt his heart do a somersault. The older turtle hadn't started out the night thinking his life was going to be forever changed but he knew it for a fact now.

"I learned from an expert," Leo told him, trying hard to mask his ever growing feelings. "When did you choose the nunchaku as your weapon? Was that completely influenced by Lee as well?"

"Sort of," Mikey said. "I knew as soon as I saw him fighting with them that I wanted to learn how to use them, but he fought with several different weapons in his movies. I thought that it was a smart idea to be able to pick up any weapon and know which end did what.

"I also found out that some things are harder to learn on the internet than others. Training with weapons is one of those things; seems like you can see some of the basics but at some point the legitimate sites will tell you to train with an experienced instructor."

"They don't want the liability of having someone injure themselves," Leo pointed out.

"I figured that one out for myself the hard way," Mikey said with a laugh. "Anyway, when I decided that I had to start somewhere, I picked the one weapon that looked like it would do the least amount of self-inflicted damage. It was also the weapon that I could find the most help with on the internet and one I could fashion from stuff I found at the school."

Leo lifted an eye ridge. "You found a weapon at the school?"

"Oh sure. In fact, I even had a number of choices from just inside the janitor's closet alone," Mikey said, a familiar twinkle in his eyes as he baited Leo to guess.

Leo suddenly understood, his smile telling Mikey he'd caught on. "Bo staff?" Leo asked.

"Bo staff, dude," Mikey said with a hint of complacency.

TBC….


	13. Part 13

The Lost Boy  
part 13

"That's Donat . . . Donny's weapon of choice," Leo said. "He never found a need to use anything else other than his brains. That's a pretty formidable weapon by itself."

"I suppose if you're really smart like that you've probably got a lot of stuff going on in your head almost all of the time," Mikey said. "You'd want a weapon that was effective but simple 'cause it would kind of balance you out."

Leo didn't bother to try to hide his look of admiration. "That is extremely insightful, Mikey. We've tried for years to get him to try another weapon but he's very steadfast. I'm not sure he even understands why but I think you're onto something."

"From what I saw during the fight earlier, he does better than okay with the bo," Mikey said. "He's way better than any of the Master's I ever saw using it on the internet."

"The ones you learned from," Leo said, prompting him to continue his story.

"Yeah," Mikey said with a smile. "I can't even tell you how many broom and mop handles I broke trying to learn basic strikes. They were great starter sticks, but I didn't realize how different a real bo was until I finally got my hands on one.

"Remember how I told you about that fight I got into in the schoolyard?" Mikey asked.

"Against the bullies who were trying to steal your friend's skateboard," Leo said.

"Yeah. They were just the start of something worse in the neighborhood. During the day it wasn't so bad 'cause the teachers and other responsible adults were around, but at night the area was pretty deserted. When summer break rolled around the only adults were the lunchroom workers and they couldn't see the schoolyard.

"The bullies came around a lot more after our fight and none of the kids wanted anything to do with them, but sometimes kids would already be there when those guys showed up.

"One night I heard some kids yelling and when I looked out the window I saw those bullies were ganging up on a couple of kids, just like they did to Carlos and me. I got really mad, madder than I'd ever been before and I just grabbed one of my sticks and went outside."

Mikey chuckled. "I was so mad and agitated that I almost forget to wear a disguise. Even then all I did was grab my oversized hooded sweatshirt; I was afraid they'd hurt those kids before I got out there if I stopped to get dressed.

"I was pretty proud of myself 'cause I was nearly on top of them before they saw me. I broke my broom handle on the very first strike, but I got the satisfaction of knocking down the guy I hit with it. He was rolling around on the ground screaming and holding his head and the other bullies turned their attention on me.

"The two kids got away and there I was holding two broken sticks and staring up into four very mean faces. Seeing the hero on TV face down the bad guys is so much more exciting than actually being in that position and realizing the bad guys wouldn't mind beating you to a pulp, if you know what I mean."

"We've experienced it a few times as well, so I know exactly what you mean," Leo said. "How old were you?"

"It was a couple of years after my first fight, so I guess around ten," Mikey told him.

"Pretty young," Leo murmured.

"Pretty dumb," Mikey replied with a grimace. "From that close up I saw that those guys weren't the same old bullies that used to hang around. They were a little older and I noticed that they all wore the same matching vest. My brain said gang at about the same time one of them punched me in the mouth.

"That was another difference; the bullies talked tough more than they fought, but this gang that moved in didn't bother with the talking part. Fortunately, I'd spent so much time training that my body reacted to the attack while my head was still trying to process what was happening.

"I fell back with the punch and probably saved myself a few teeth because of it, and then when I hit the ground I rolled 'cause I knew from the time before they'd kick me if I stayed down. It took them by surprise and put distance between us, enough that I could easily have sprinted for safety, but the closest place for me to go was the school and I didn't wanna lead them there."

"Letting them know where you lived would have been a tactical error," Leo said, "not to mention that you could have been trapped."

"I guess I knew that on a subconscious level," Mikey said. "Since I knew I couldn't go into any other building, I figured my best option was to take the high road and get up on the rooftops. Problem was; those guys were between me and the place I wanted to go.

"The one I put down wasn't getting up any time soon, but that still made it four to one. To make it even more fun, a couple of them pulled knives and then one of them yanked out a bo staff, a real one. He'd had it jammed into the back of his coat and I hadn't even noticed it until he pulled it out and started swinging it around.

"You know what the funniest thing was? I was scared right up until that moment, but as soon as he started spinning that staff, I realized that he didn't know what he was doing. I mean, I had the wrong weapon for the job but I knew what to do with it. That staff might as well have been a baseball bat or a tree limb for all he knew.

"Right then I decided that he was the weak link in the chain and that's who I was going through. That feeling was such a rush! All of a sudden I couldn't even feel my feet on the ground anymore; I just let out a whoop and charged at him, both ends of my broken stick twirling."

Mikey's blue eyes were flashing as he re-lived that fight; his entire body quivering from the small shot of adrenaline brought on by excitement. Leo's heart began to beat faster in reaction, his lips parting slightly as he started to breathe a little quicker. Mikey's youthful vigor and lively animation were affecting him just as they'd done in Leo's dreams. Within seconds a tingling sensation starting to sweep through Leo's groin and he sat up straighter in an attempt to quell his reactions.

"Of course he swung at me, but his hold was wrong and he was totally off balance," Mikey continued. "It was like he was moving in slow motion and I ducked right under the staff with ease. Dude, that guy was so off center he almost had his entire back to me! I hit his hand with one of my sticks and clobbered him in the back of the head with the other.

"I got him in just the right spot 'cause that blow knocked him out cold. When he hit the ground I grabbed his bo staff and then turned around to see where the other three guys were.

"They were coming at me so I lifted the staff and jabbed one of them right in his . . . um, you know . . . package," Mikey said, flushing becomingly and glancing quickly at Leo.

Leo's mouth felt dry from the physical reactions he was having to Mikey but he immediately knew that the youngster wanted some kind of absolution for the low blow. With a smile, Leo said, "Sometimes we can't afford to fight pretty; we have to fight to win."

Mikey rewarded him with a bright and relieved smile. "I sorta wasn't aiming there; I was trying for his stomach, but I'd never held a real bo staff before. It was a lot heavier and longer than the broom handles I was used to practicing with.

"He fell down real fast after that and I spun around to hold off one of his buddies. I was working to compensate for the weight of the bo so I wasn't as fast as I wanted to be, but I was faster than him. I knocked the knife out of his hand and then managed to clock him a good one on the jaw when something felt like it bit into my collar bone.

"I jumped aside and saw the last guy standing there with blood dripping off his knife and it came to me that it was _my_ blood. I let him get behind me; I let him get close enough to _cut_ me. It really started to hurt then and I stopped being excited and got mad again.

"I hit him really hard Leo, right in his rib cage. I heard bones snap and he yelled and fell down and I hit him again. The only thing that stopped me from hitting him more was that my wound was screaming at me and I heard sirens.

"They weren't all unconscious so I still couldn't go home to the school. I took off across the street to the apartment building like I'd originally planned and climbed the fire escape to the roof. I kept running for a while; jumping from roof to roof until I couldn't hear the sirens anymore. Along the way I snagged a sheet off a clothesline and when I finally stopped running I sat down to see how badly I was hurt.

"My sweatshirt was pretty bloody so I peeled it off first and then I cleaned what I could with the sheet. After that I could see that the cut was long but not too deep. The bleeding was the first thing I knew needed to be dealt with, so I tore the sheet and made a thick pad that I could press down on the wound."

"Did it need stitches?" Leo asked, curious as to how a ten year old mutant turtle managed to deal with a wound in such a difficult to reach spot on his body.

"Well, if I could've gone to a proper doctor they probably would've taken a couple," Mikey answered. "Since I couldn't and all I really knew was basic first aid, I decided to do something called 'butterfly stitches'. I remembered reading about that when I was doing research.

"There was a bodega close by and as much as I hated to do it, I busted out a small window so I could climb inside. I went right to the aisle where the medicine and stuff was and took some surgical tape, aspirin, and things for cleaning and disinfecting the wound. I felt bad for stealing, Leo, I really did, but I had to. Was that okay?"

Mikey was looking at him beseechingly and Leo reached across to take hold of the younger turtle's hand.

"Of course it was," Leo told him gently. "You did what you had to do because you didn't have any other options. You've probably repaid that debt tenfold by now with all of the crime fighting you've done."

"Do you really think so?" Mikey's eyes were searching Leo's, his chin trembling slightly.

The knowledge that Mikey held Leo's opinion in such high regard though they barely knew each other flattered the older turtle immensely. With his free hand, Leo moved the snack platter to the other side of the bench and slid closer to Mikey.

"I'm sure of it," Leo said in a low, soothing tone.

Mikey stared at him for a second, his lower lip caught between his teeth. "Do you want to see my scar?" he finally asked, his voice almost a whisper.

Leo nodded and Mikey lifted a hand to touch a spot on his collar bone, twisting his upper body closer to Leo so that the blue banded turtle could see the mark better.

Bare inches separated them and Mikey's intoxicating scent became overwhelming. Leo reached up to touch the long, thin scar; tracing the line with his fingertips. He heard Mikey's breath catch in his throat and Leo's eyes moved back to the incredible blue ones that were so close.

Leo wanted Mikey in that moment more than he'd ever wanted anything in his entire life. The younger turtle seemed to be waiting for something; seemingly caught in a situation he wasn't sure how to deal with and Leo felt nearly the same way.

Faced with his first real test since meeting Mikey, Leo found himself having to now make one of the most difficult decisions of his life.

TBC…


	14. Part 14

The Lost Boy  
part 14

Mikey was staring up at Leo, his full mouth so very close. As Leo searched the younger turtle's eyes he saw an array of emotions there; curiosity, desire and a need to be close to someone, but Leo also saw a touch of wariness.

Leo was sure that Mikey wanted something more than friendship and he was also sure that the lost boy's life had made trust a difficult thing for him to give. One wrong move during this tenuous period of their becoming acquainted and Leo could lose Mikey's trust and inevitably lose Mikey himself.

Carefully leaning forward, Leo placed a soft and lingering kiss to Mikey's scar before pulling away from him. Still holding Mikey's hand, Leo sat back enough so that the heat from Mikey's body wouldn't tempt him to go further.

When Leo looked into Mikey's face, he saw that the younger turtle had closed his eyes. Now they fluttered open and Mikey stared at him, the unbridled admiration for Leo clear in his expression.

"What was that for?" Mikey asked in a soft voice.

"When I was young, my father used to kiss our wounds and tell us that would make them feel better," Leo explained gently. "The thought of you injured and alone makes me sad. I wish you hadn't grown up without family. I wish I could have been there to hold you and kiss away your pain."

"Do you still think I could be your brother?" Mikey asked, his eyes searching Leo's.

"Yes," Leo answered. "I think that we were together when the ooze that mutated us coated our bodies. I believe that in the few minutes between that occurrence and the time that our father found us, you somehow became separated from us. However that happened, it seems likely that a child on their way to school found you and stuck you in that backpack."

"That means . . . that means I could have grown up with you," Mikey said. "I would have liked that."

Leo smiled. "You would have liked Master Splinter too. Our father. He is a great teacher; it was he who protected and nurtured us. Sensei has taught us many things, but most importantly he showed us how to love and how important it is to stick together always."

"On the TV and in movies I see families. I see people falling in love too. Sometimes I have daydreams about that," Mikey admitted wistfully.

"You don't have to be alone anymore," Leo said, holding Mikey's eyes. "We've found each other for a reason and I think it's because fate always intended we should be together."

A shutter seemed to come down over Mikey's eyes and he pulled back a little, taking his hand from Leo's and making a show of reaching for his water bottle. Leo watched him, brow furrowed in puzzlement at the sudden change in Mikey's demeanor.

"Together like with your family?" Mikey asked, avoiding Leo's eyes as he tipped his head back to drink.

Leo's expression smoothed. Mikey was accepting the idea of being with Leo readily enough; no doubt the young turtle had felt the same stab of desire that had hit Leo the first time their eyes had met. Having lived alone for so long, adjusting to the idea of sharing his life with Leo was a difficult enough transition; the thought of mingling with the remainder of Leo's family still frightened the youth.

"There are only four of us in my family," Leo said quietly. "I know that sounds like a lot considering you've lived by yourself your whole life, but no one will ever crowd you or force you to do anything you don't want to do."

Mikey nodded and then shot a glance at Leo. "Couldn't you just visit me here? It's really nice inside my rooms; I have TV and food and heat and stuff."

"Of course, if that's more comfortable to you," Leo said, deciding that it wasn't the right time to push his agenda. "Would you come visit my home sometimes too, and meet my family? I promise to stay with you the entire time. You could bring your laptop and let Don have a look at it. I'll bet you anything he could fix it up better than new."

"Don really is a genius?" Mikey asked.

"Yes, he really is," Leo said. "He's very gentle and understanding as well. Don is more of an engineer than anything, but he taught himself enough about medicine to be a first rate physician and surgeon." Leo touched the stitches that Mikey had sewn. "He'll be impressed when I show him your repair job."

Mikey laughed, relaxing once more. "He could probably teach me lots of stuff, couldn't he?"

"I'm sure he could," Leo said quickly, delighted that Mikey was becoming comfortable with the idea of being around Donatello. "He'd be honored and excited to have someone as intelligent as you willing to listen to him talk."

"I like to learn," Mikey said simply. "That's why living in a school was so awesome. I would never have left except . . . ."

He paused and looked across the room, his expression denoting that his thoughts were far away. Leo glanced in the direction Mikey's eyes had taken and saw a mural on one wall that showed a school building, its yard filled with laughing children. It was easy enough to guess that this was the school Michelangelo had called home for so many years.

"What happened, Mikey?" Leo asked, his words soft and low so as not to break into the young turtle's reverie.

"I've only been living here four months," Mikey said. "All of those paintings on the walls are 'cause I get bored. It's not the same here as when I spent my days at school; everything there was real. People came and went, there was always action and drama going on, even if it was just Petey Newbourne accidently letting the pet hamster out of its cage.

"What happened is partly my fault I guess. I should have known that standing up to that gang one time wouldn't make them go away. After I got cut I was too scared to confront the gang again and of course they came back. They always come back.

"The neighborhood got to be an even worse place to live because of them. Kids didn't come to the schoolyard at all anymore, day or night. That was okay with me at that point, 'cause I don't know what I would have done if those guys had caught some kids again. I didn't want to get hurt but I couldn't have lived with the guilt if I didn't do anything."

"Mikey, that is a perfectly normal reaction," Leo told him. "We all have self-preservation as our highest priority; it is built into our nature. There are only a small percentage of people who can overcome that need to protect themselves and rush into danger. I know that is in you because I've seen you fight, but you're older now. Don't beat yourself up for not wanting to take chances at such a young age."

Mikey blinked quickly and Leo could see that the turtle was trying to hide the tears that threatened to overflow. "I'm not really beating myself up too much about that," Mikey said finally. "I've come to know that scared isn't such a bad thing; it sure keeps you on your toes and makes your reflexes react a whole lot faster.

"See, the thing is that just like with the bullies, there is always someone bigger and meaner who is happy to step up and push you aside. That small gang took over from the bullies and then they eventually got gobbled up by the Purple Dragons."

He paused and Leo said, "We've had a lot of run-ins with the Dragons and their leader. They are a tough group to tangle with."

"I did though," Mikey said. "I couldn't leave well enough alone and I made a nuisance of myself, so what they finally did is my fault."

He stopped talking again and the movement of his throat told Leo that Mikey was trying hard to swallow some heavy emotions.

"You'll feel better if you tell me," Leo said, his manner gentle and coaxing.

Mikey looked at him and Leo was taken aback by the raw pain he saw in the younger turtle's eyes.

"They burned the school down," Mikey said.

TBC…..


	15. Part 15

The Lost Boy  
part 15

The compassion Leo felt must have shown on his face, because Mikey ducked his head and said, "Sorry Leo; that was kind of a heavy thing to lay on you."

Leo put an arm around Mikey's shoulders and placed the fingers of his other hand beneath Mikey's chin in order to lift it.

"Oh no, Mikey, you have nothing to be sorry for," Leo said gently. He held Mikey's eyes with his own, willing the younger turtle not to look away. "I don't know exactly what happened and I'd like to because I think it would help you to talk about it. But I need for you to know that setting fire to things is a favored method of intimidation by the Dragons."

"So my school isn't the only thing they've burned?" Mikey asked, a deep frown furrowing his brow.

"It isn't by a long shot," Leo said and then carefully added, "We have another friend who has a deep hatred of the Purple Dragons because his family was victimized by them. Casey's mother suffered a heart attack and died because the Dragons set fire to the apartment building she lived in."

"Dude," Mikey said, his eyes wide. "Your friend has more of a beef with the Dragons than I do."

"Casey and my brother Raphael spend a lot of time together," Leo said, deciding to introduce his hot headed brother into the conversation once more. "They specifically track down Purple Dragon activity and attempt to stop it. Mostly they're successful."

"Have the Dragons tried to trap you the way they did with me tonight?" Mikey asked.

"Several times; they even managed to get their hands on both Casey and Raphael on separate occasions. We helped Casey get away from them and Raphael escaped on his own," Leo answered.

"Raphael is really big and he looks strong," Mikey said. "I could tell the Dragons were scared of him during our fight. I could hear your brother shouting the entire time."

Leo smiled. "We have kind of a nickname for Raphael; we call him 'psycho'. He can get very emotional at times and prefers to jump directly into a fight rather than to find another solution. He is very, very good; something our enemies have learned the hard way."

"Does he fight with you and Don?" Mikey asked.

"He doesn't often fight with Donny," Leo said, liking how warm his genius brothers' new nickname sounded. "None of us do; Donny is very mellow most of the time. Raphael and I do tend to argue quite a bit though. I am the leader of our clan and Raphael doesn't particularly like to be led."

"Leader," Mikey repeated in a near whisper. The admiration was shining in his eyes once more, lighting up the vivid blue into a beacon that pulled at Leo's heart. "That means you say what the others have to do. Did you figure out how to find me and how to come to my rescue?"

Leo felt a little flustered; he wasn't used to talking about himself. "I was worried about you," he said. "Casey hears things and said that the Dragons were planning an ambush. It was simple battle tactics to surprise and overwhelm them once their attack began."

"You know about battle tactics and being a ninja," Mikey said, still sounding awed. "I'll bet you know a lot more stuff too. What happens when Raphael doesn't want to do what you say? Does he get mean?"

Leo was pleased that Mikey had said his brother's name so readily, but he knew Mikey wouldn't be comfortable with the idea of meeting Raphael until the red banded turtle seemed less intimidating.

"I won't lie and say he doesn't have a temper," Leo said carefully. "For Raphael, family is everything. He argues because he needs to feel that my decisions are what is best for us and his questions do serve an important purpose for me. They make me look at each plan from every angle, they make me question what I've perceived so that I'm not fooled by how something appears.

"He forces me to be the best that I can be and then push to be better even than that. Raphael reminds me that humility is an important part of leadership and that complacency has no part in what I do. He also refuses to allow any of us to sacrifice ourselves because he never gives up, he never quits."

"You guys aren't just brothers, you're a team," Mikey observed.

"We are," Leo acknowledged and then he had an idea. Mikey seemed more accepting of Don after anointing the genius with a shorter name; somehow that act had helped the youngster to accept the other turtle. Almost as soon as he thought it, Leo said, "But you know what? Psycho isn't the best nickname for us to be calling Raphael. Could you think of something better?"

"Oh sure, that's easy," Mikey said. "Raph. You can say that a lot faster than Raphael if you're trying to win an argument with him. Wait, you could also call him Raphie. Bet that would throw him off his game."

Leo had to smile as a mental picture of Raph's face after having been called 'Raphie' played through his mind. Mikey really was perceptive when it came to figuring out how to deal with different personality types. That fact was amazing considering how Mikey really had very little interaction with others. It was a gift that Leo could definitely see having many uses; an ability that would perfectly round out his team.

"I like that name; both of them actually," Leo said. "Although I think Donny could get away with calling him 'Raphie' a little easier than I could. Please tell me the rest of your story, Mikey. I want to know what led up the Dragons burning your school and I'd also like to know how you moved from the bo staff to nunchakus."

"Still not tired of listening to me talk? You've got stamina _and_ patience," Mikey said jokingly, easing into a more relaxed attitude again. Squirming a little, he added, "How about we move somewhere more comfortable? My butt's going to sleep on this wooden bench."

"Are you going to show me your inner sanctum?" Leo asked teasingly.

"Yeah, why not? If you were a threat I guess you'd have made your move already," Mikey said as he stood up.

"I had a feeling we were out here because you were afraid you might need room to maneuver," Leo said.

Mikey grinned cheekily. "I wouldn't say I was afraid, I'd say I was being cautious."

Leo picked up the snack tray and Mikey snagged the water bottles before leading the way to the ticket booths that served as his private rooms.

Mikey held the door open for Leo to pass through and stepped in behind his guest. The room they entered was a space of about ten feet wide and twelve feet deep. Attached to the walls were counters where ticket sellers conducted business and which now held an assortment of dishes, canned goods, and other food stuffs. Against the furthest wall was a mini-refrigerator, a microwave and a small two burner electric stove.

"My kitchen," Mikey said as Leo glanced around.

"Where do you get the electricity from?" Leo asked.

"I have a gas generator," Mikey told him, putting the water bottles on a counter. "Come on, set the platter down and I'll give you the grand tour."

Leo placed the snacks on the nearest counter and followed his host. On opposite walls of the 'kitchen' were two doors and Mikey took the one that went to the right first. The room they entered was obviously used as a storage space; shelves held all manner of things from electronics, to bedding and clothes, to toys and books, and a lot of other things that Leo couldn't take in with one glance.

A smaller room off of that one was where Mikey's generator stood. There was a table covered in tools and several large canisters of gasoline stood against the far wall.

"I keep the generator as far from where I sleep as I possibly can," Mikey said. "That way if it catches fire or blows up I have a chance of getting out alive."

"Where did you get all of these things?" Leo asked.

"My school was pretty much a total loss after the fire," Mikey said, "but some things didn't burn. The teacher's lounge was hardly touched by the flames and I was able to sneak past the police who were guarding the scene and get their mini fridge, TV and microwave. The oven was one they replaced because it was too small and it was in the basement; the fire didn't reach down there. I got the generator from the basement too."

"That must have required some stealth to get in and back out with such large items," Leo said, once again amazed at the young turtles ability and ingenuity.

"I've had a lot of practice," Mikey said simply. "There's another way down here in the old tunnels, 'cause obviously this stuff wouldn't fit in the pipe we came through. Let me show you the rest of my home."

Retracing their steps, Mikey led the way into the left wing of his home. There was a short hallway off the kitchen and then it opened out into a large room that had probably at one time been the station manager's office.

Michelangelo had turned this space into a bedroom. Against the farthest wall were several wooden pallets pushed together and stacked two deep, atop which sat a queen sized mattress. There were shelves holding books, a coffee table and nightstand, and a short sturdy dresser which held Mikey's television set.

A small desk stood against another wall, on top of it was a lamp, a laptop computer, and writing materials. The walls were decorated with murals and posters, mostly of super heroes, but there was one good sized poster of Bruce Lee.

The wall above the desk held weapons; a couple of bo staffs, a shelf of shuriken and spikes, another set of nunchucks, and an assortment of bladed weapons.

"My bedroom," Mikey said unnecessarily and when Leo turned to look at him, he saw that the younger turtle seemed a little ill at ease.

"It looks very comfortable," Leo said. "You've got everything here."

"Everything except a bathroom," Mikey said, recovering a bit of his humor. "The one we came through was the men's room but it's wrecked, so I use the women's room. It's nicer and closer to here anyway. Fresh water still comes in there and I dragged a tub from the junkyard down here so I can bathe. I just have to heat the water on the stove first. I use a big bucket for washing the dirty dishes."

"I'm very impressed," Leo said.

Mikey shrugged, appearing nervous. "The internet helped me figure out a lot of stuff. Um, I don't have any chairs but the bed is comfortable if you don't mind sitting there with me."

Leo struggled to hide his excitement, though his heart began to pound a little faster. There was absolutely no other place he'd rather be than on a bed with Mikey.

"I don't mind that at all, Mikey," Leo said, moving over to the bed and taking a seat. Patting the spot next to him, Leo said, "Join me. You have a story to finish and I can't wait to hear it."

The young turtle glanced up at Leo and then looked down as he walked across the room. Slowly lowering himself onto the bed, Mikey sat close enough to Leo that the older turtle could feel his body heat.

Mikey turned his head to look shyly at Leo, a flush coloring the youngster's neck and face. Leo immediately smelled a change in Mikey's scent; a spike in his pheromones that teased and tantalized Leo's senses.

Leo hoped he could hold it together until he was sure that Mikey understood the signals the younger turtle was sending him. Feeling his arousal growing, Leo had an idea that it was going to take every bit of focus he could muster not to simply pounce on Mikey.

TBC….


	16. Part 16

The Lost Boy  
part 16

The expression on Mikey's face indicated that he could smell the change in Leo's pheromones as well. Rather than seeming frightened by that knowledge, Mikey appeared expectant, even leaning closer to Leo.

Leo needed to give himself and Mikey something else to focus on; knowing that they both shared a mutual interest in one another wasn't enough, Mikey had to want to share his life with Leo in every way. That meant that Mikey had to care for Leo on a level deeper and more meaningful than sexual attraction.

Taking a strong, steadying breath, Leo said, "Please continue with the rest of your story, Mikey."

Mikey blinked as though coming out of a daze and sat up straighter. His heightened color didn't recede though, and neither did his stimulating scent.

"Okay, so where was I?" Mikey asked rhetorically. "First we had the bullies who were chased off by those wanna be gang bangers, and then the real thing in the shape of the Purple Dragons. I was keeping a low profile after I got hurt, but watching the Dragons start to take over the neighborhood hit a sore spot.

"They were forcing merchants to pay for protection from the Dragons themselves; they started making the school personnel pay for their parking spaces and stealing anything worth money from the kids. Just about every surface in the area was tagged and the artwork wasn't nice either. I also noticed that not only were they trying to recruit kids for their gang, but they were selling drugs too. I despise both of those things.

"Then one evening I saw the Dragons tear up the neighborhood bakery. The old man who owned the bakery had inherited it from his dad. It didn't make a lot of money because the poor man couldn't produce much anymore, but it was all he had. He sure couldn't pay what the Dragons wanted for protection.

"It was just like when that gang was picking on those kids; I started to get really angry. I learned my lesson about the full frontal attack though and decided to use some of those skills I acquired from years of hiding in the school.

"One of the Dragons had dragged the old man onto the sidewalk and was holding him up by his shirt front. There were three others just standing around laughing so I came around behind them and smacked the first one I could reach with my bo. Quick as I could I leaped up on the frame that held the awning over the door and slithered around to the other side.

"The Dragon groaned as he fell down and when the others turned to look at him, I hit another one of them and then jumped into the bakery. When the last two started yelling at each other, I banged on the wall to get their attention."

"Did you hide or wait for them?" Leo asked.

Mikey grinned. "No open fighting for me, not then anyway. I perched right above the entrance, bracing my toes on the door frame and one hand on the ceiling. Those cowards pushed the old man in first; the leader was even using him for a shield. I waited until they were all inside before bashing the Dragon who was bringing up the rear right on his head.

"I was trying to get the hang of how hard to hit someone with that heavy staff. The first two guys cried out but I was pretty proud that the third didn't make a sound. The thump when his body hit the floor was the only thing that told the leader what had happened.

"When he turned around, I shoved off from my hiding place and sailed right over his head. Moving around with the bo staff is hard though; Don must be really good to be able to do that. The weight alone kept pulling me off balance.

"I didn't exactly land soundlessly and the Dragon caught a glimpse of me. He pulled out a switchblade knife and then shoved the old man aside. I didn't want to take the chance that he'd get frustrated and go after the old man again, so I jumped out to face him. It wasn't much of a match even in that small space; the bo had the reach and I was a whole lot faster than that guy was.

"Once he was out cold I confiscated his switchblade and asked the old man if he was okay. He just kept staring at me and I realized he was the first person to actually get a really good look at the real me. I also realized that he was scared; even more scared than when the Dragons were tearing up his place and beating on him.

"That hurt; it hurt a lot. I guess I never thought before about how strange and different I look. I think I figured that if I saved the guy's life he wouldn't care about my appearance. I haven't found out any differently either; bad people try to kill me and good people scream and run away."

"We've all experienced that same thing, Mikey," Leo assured him. "There are humans that will accept you for who you are, some of them are great friends of ours, but they are rare. Donny says it is part of the human genetic makeup; a survival instinct that we shouldn't take personally."

"I try not to," Mikey said. "It can make for a pretty lonely existence though."

Leo wasn't sure that he could trust himself to remain calm if he tried to put his arm around Mikey again, so he settled for placing a comforting hand on Mikey's shoulder.

"I wish we'd never been separated," Leo told him. "I wish with my entire being that you had lived and been raised with us. For some reason fate decided to arrange things in this way and regrets are pointless. Fate brought us back together though and that makes me believe things have happened in this way for a particular reason."

"The same fate that made me look a little differently than the rest of you?" Mikey asked.

"From what I understand of our mutation process, the ooze bonded our turtle DNA with that of the other DNA that was on our bodies. Human epithelial tissue was left on us by the humans who owned us. I think that the reason your carapace is smaller and you have a greater range of movement than the rest of us is because you had more of the human DNA on you during mutation. My guess is that it was left there by the child who found you and stuffed you into his backpack," Leo explained.

"Wouldn't the ooze have transformed the kid too?" Mikey asked. "I mean, if his DNA on me aided my transformation, then wouldn't my DNA have gotten on him?"

"It's possible he didn't touch the ooze," Leo said. "Since we never heard any news about a child who had turned partially into a turtle, that's my best guess. What did you do about the old man?"

Mikey sighed. "I was pretty sure he wasn't hurt, so I told him I was wearing a costume because I didn't want the Dragons to recognize me and that he should call the police before those guys woke up. After that I got out of there.

"Once I was home I played with that switchblade a little bit until I got comfortable with it and then started keeping it in my belt as a backup weapon. I also sat down and spent some time thinking about the bo staff I was using. I was good with it, still am, but it didn't feel right in my hands if you know what I mean."

Leo nodded. "I've trained with many weapons but the katana is the only one that felt as though it was an extension of me."

"I kind of think a certain weapon bonds with you," Mikey said. "I know that sounds flighty, but when you're fighting with just the right weapon, you completely forget you have one. Everything, every movement, happens without conscious thought."

"My brothers and I have talked about that exact concept," Leo said. "We all feel that way about our weapon of choice. Our father knew that to be true as well, that's why he chose these weapons for us and never required that Don carry something other than the bo."

"Your father sounds really wise," Mikey said slowly. "Do you think he'll like me?"

Leo was elated. With that one question, Mikey was telling him that he was willing to meet Master Splinter and wouldn't shy away from him when the time came.

"I think he will be very happy to meet and get to know you," Leo said. "Master Splinter will sense the same things about you that I have and come to think of you as another of his sons."

"A son?" Mikey asked the question of himself more than Leo. "I have to . . . I have to think about how that will make me feel."

"Try not to dwell on it," Leo said. "You should simply be yourself and let things happen between the two of you. Master Splinter is a very spiritual and giving individual."

"Okay, I can do that," Mikey said, a tentative smile etching his lips. "He must know a lot about weapons."

"He knows a lot about many things," Leo said. "One of the things he knows and taught me is that the weapon is only as good as the hand that wields it. There is no such thing as the best weapon and anything can be used as one. He carries a walking stick and has trounced me many times with it when trying to prove his point."

Mikey was smiling wider in response to the joy in Leo's voice as he spoke of his father.

"I know what he means about weapons. The Dragons carry all kinds, including guns, but aren't very good at using them. That turned out to be a lucky thing for you," Mikey said jokingly as he glanced at Leo's wound.

"That's right, rub it in," Leo responded humorously.

"I don't like guns at all," Mikey said, sobering. "I decided not to collect them when I started to take weapons away from the Dragons. I know they have their uses, but the one time I held a gun it felt wrong. It gave off a really negative vibe and I wound up tossing it in the river."

"We don't use guns either," Leo said. "They feel impersonal and dealing death with them seems dishonorable. What do you mean by collecting weapons?"

Mikey waved towards his wall of weapons. "After a couple of fights using the bo, I decided I needed to find a weapon better suited to my personality and the way I move during a fight. Since I got my first bo off an enemy, I figured I'd get every other kind of weapon off of them too.

"The Dragons weren't exactly fertile shopping grounds though. Other than the occasional bo staff, they mostly use guns, pipes, bats, chains; random stuff I could pick up for myself at the junk yard. I do have a fairly nice collection of knives that I got off of them, but not much of anything else.

"Then one night I saw a couple of guys dressed entirely in black paying the Dragons for a briefcase they'd stolen out of the trunk of a car. I'd been trailing the Dragons but I switched over to the other guys once the transaction was complete. It wasn't just that they were buying stolen goods; it was the fact that they wore ninja gear that got my attention."

"The Foot," Leo said with disgust.

Mikey wrinkled his beak at the mention of their clan name. "Yeah, I found out a little about them later. I guess you know about them too, judging from the way you just said that. They carry a much better grade of weapon, but they're also a lot harder to beat."

"I take it that means you've had some run ins with them," Leo said.

"Not many," Mikey admitted. "My main focus is the Purple Dragons and I didn't want to get sidetracked by this other group. Whenever their paths cross with the Dragons, they also cross mine and that's the only time I engage them. I got the rest of my weapons off of Foot ninja, including these."

Mikey proudly pulled his nunchucks from his belt and displayed them for Leo.

"I'm guessing that once you touched these you knew you'd found your true weapon?" Leo asked.

"Yep," Mikey said, grinning widely. "It didn't even matter that I beat the heck out of myself while learning to use them. Having the nunchucks seemed pretty poetic; it was Bruce Lee's use of them that got me interested in learning about weapons in the first place. I think I always knew I'd wind up with a pair."

Looking at them lovingly, Mikey gently set them on the nightstand. As he leaned away, Leo took his hand off of Mikey's shoulder, missing the contact immediately.

"Would you mind if I removed my katanas?" Leo asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Mikey yelped. "I should have asked if you wanted to so you could be more comfortable."

"You've been a great host, Mikey," Leo assured him. "Considering I'm probably the first guest in your new home, you've been remarkably polite."

"You're my first guest ever anywhere," Mikey admitted as he watched Leo divest himself of his weapons and set them carefully aside. "You're only the second friend I've ever had. It's okay if I say you're my friend, isn't it?"

"Yes, because it's true," Leo said. Unable to help himself, he lightly cupped Mikey's cheek, staring into the younger turtle's eyes as he did so. "Mikey, I want that to be a forever thing. Is that all right with you?"

He could feel Mikey shiver and watched as the youngster's lids lowered slightly. Mikey's mouth opened, closed again, and then Mikey bit is lower lip before opening his mouth again.

"I'd like that," Mikey answered in a low voice. "Leo, can I ask you a question?"

Leo was feeling mildly breathless as he watched Mikey react to his touch, but managed to say in a fairly even tone, "You can always ask me anything, Mikey."

Mikey leaned into Leo's palm a little more, his eyes never leaving Leo's face.

Taking a deep breath, Mikey asked, "Do you have a crush on me?"

TBC…


	17. Part 17

The Lost Boy  
part 17

It was not in Leonardo's nature to lie; he couldn't avoid telling Mikey the truth about how he felt; especially knowing that with Mikey's unique insight he would probably be able to tell if Leo attempted to prevaricate.

Leo had to take into consideration the naiveté in Mikey's manner of phrasing his question. The straight forward simplicity told of Mikey's youth and inexperience. It also made Leo wonder how much Mikey really understood about relationships.

Mikey had never been touched, never been held, and could merely be craving these things rather than experiencing true emotions. The youngster watched a lot of television and had quite probably romanticized a first sexual encounter without truly examining the ramifications.

As Leo looked into Mikey's face, he knew he would have to lead the younger turtle carefully so as not to destroy his delicately balanced sensibilities. That meant addressing Mikey's question honestly.

"Yes," Leo said, his voice firm yet soft. "I felt something for you the first time I set eyes on you."

"Really? 'Cause I think I have a crush on you too, and I don't know if that's a good idea. I mean, I don't know you very well and I sure don't know anything about being with someone," Mikey told him, partially echoing Leo's thoughts.

"That is why I'm trying to get to know you better," Leo said, "and why I'm telling you about myself and my family."

"Oh, so you have an ulterior motive for listening to me ramble about my life," Mikey said with a nervous giggle. The tone was mildly flirtatious though and made Leo smile.

"If you want to know anything, ask me and I'll answer you honestly," Leo told him.

"Okay," Mikey said, lightly clearing his throat. "Have you ever . . . ever . . . kissed anyone?"

"Not in the way I think you mean," Leo said, watching Mikey's eyes carefully.

"When you held my hand earlier, I got a really strange jumpy feeling in the pit of my stomach," Mikey said. "It wasn't a bad feeling; it was kind of excited and on edge, like when I'm about to do something I like a lot but don't get to do very much. I'm having the same feeling now from your hand being on my face."

"Shall I remove my hand?" Leo asked in a husky undertone.

Mikey glanced down at Leo's mouth and then back into his eyes once more. "No," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I told you I like to learn. Maybe we could . . . you know . . . learn some new things together."

The hopeful light shining in Mikey's blue eyes was too much for even Leo's iron control. Leaning forward slowly, Leo brushed a light kiss onto the corner of Mikey's mouth. There was a swift intake of air from the younger turtle and he shivered, his eyes nearly completely closed.

Leo's mouth curved into a small smile and he shifted his aim, letting his lips dance lightly across Mikey's. The young turtle shuffled nearer to him, eyes now shut, and lifted a hand to gently grip Leo's forearm.

A myriad of feelings coursed through Leo's body, every one of his senses more vivid than they'd ever seemed. Mikey's scent seeped into Leo's pores and drowned him in a sea of bliss. The feel of Mikey's skin against his hand and the youngster's lips touching his own set Leo's blood to burning.

Leo moved close enough so that their thighs were touching and wrapped his free arm around Mikey's carapace. The light kiss wasn't enough as the very core of Leo's instincts begged for more.

Tilting his head, Leo pressed harder against Mikey's full and enticing lips. A low moan escaped the younger turtle but his body seemed to stiffen slightly.

Cold reality rushed over Leo and brought with it a measure of common sense. Scaring Mikey was the last thing in the world the older turtle wanted to do. He had come this far through patience and diligence, he could continue along this route until his prize was ready to be claimed. Leo was adept at reading body language and knew it was time to slow things down again.

Carefully moving his face away from Mikey's, Leo took his hand off of the younger turtle's face but kept his arm around Mikey. In turn, Mikey released his hold on Leo's forearm, his eyes remaining closed for a long moment.

"Mikey," Leo whispered softly. When the youngster opened his eyes, Leo said, "We don't have to learn everything in one night. I'm perfectly content to take things slow."

"I guess I'm n . . . nervous," Mikey stammered.

"I don't want either of us to be nervous about this," Leo said. "I want us to both be comfortable and content. We'll go at your pace, okay? If I think you're rushing things I'll slow it down."

Mikey's lips quivered and then he grinned. "Are you going to lead me, Leo?"

Leo chuckled, amazed at Mikey resilience. "It's a habit I probably won't be able to break."

"You don't have to," Mikey told him. "I like it. It feels nice to have someone else make the decisions."

Leo rubbed Mikey's carapace. "You say that now, but you've spent your whole life calling the shots for yourself. That might not be such an easy thing to relinquish."

"I like it so far," Mikey said, eyeing Leo shyly.

"Let me know if you still feel that way after you meet my family," Leo said mildly.

"Speaking of them, I'll bet they're worried about you," Mikey said. "I would be even if you'd called to say you were okay. That was hours ago. Don't you want to check in again?"

With a light laugh, Leo admitted, "I tossed my cell phone after that first call because I didn't want them to follow me. They would have too; Don is very good with electronics."

Mikey appeared to be thinking about something and Leo remained silent as he stroked the younger turtle's shell.

"It's gonna be light out soon," Mikey observed. "The weatherman says it's supposed to rain. You could stay for the day if you wanted to; I've got plenty of food and the bed is big enough to share. I mean, unless that bothers you," he added quickly.

Leo's expression was soft and caring as he said, "It might be better if I went home and gave you some time to think about things."

Mikey gave him a small, mischievous smile. "I guess if you think that's best. You're gonna get your stitches wet and you'll be all cold when you could be in a nice warm bed. That's completely up to you though. I can think about stuff with you sleeping here just as well as if you're not, I just won't be able to ask you questions if you're gone. I only bite Purple Dragons if you're scared."

Leo burst out laughing. It was a rare thing for him and it felt good; better than good, it felt cleansing. Part of Mikey's charm was his skill at finding humor in all things and his ability to point out the absurd.

"I think I can manage to control my fear," Leo said. "There's still the small matter of letting my brothers know I'm not in any danger."

"No worries dude," Mikey said, his bright eyes glittering with youthful exuberance. "I think I know how to solve that problem."

TBC…


	18. Part 18

The Lost Boy  
part 18

"Do you have a phone?" Leo asked, puzzled.

Mikey grinned at him. "What would I do with a phone? It's not like I know anybody to call. I do have an e-mail address though; you can't really function without one. I'm guessing that smart Donny has one too. Do you know what his address is by any chance?"

Leo nearly gawked at Mikey. Of course the tech savvy youngster had e-mail, he had told Leo about his laptop after all.

"Are you sure you trust me with your computer? I don't have the best track record," Leo said with a chuckle.

Mikey jumped up from the bed and crossed over to his desk. Unplugging the laptop from its charger, Mikey came back to sit next to Leo.

As he opened the laptop, Mikey said, "That station they built above this one has free WI-FI. I'll do most of the work; all you need to do is type the message and hit send. I don't mean hit in the literal sense either."

He snickered as he said that and Leo smiled. "Now you sound like Don. You two are going to get along just fine."

"If he can fix my laptop, he'll be my new best friend," Mikey said, absorbed in pulling up his e-mail account.

He was obviously struggling with his computer and it was a few minutes before he had the 'send message' screen up for Leo. Finally, he leaned over and set the machine on Leo's lap.

"Type in Don's address up here," Mikey instructed, pointing at the spot where the cursor bounced in wait. "Then you can type in your message. Some of the keys stick so don't try to go too fast or you'll end up with fourteen A's and sixteen M's for each one you try to type. When you're done, move the cursor over to the send button and click on it."

Leo nodded. "Sounds simple enough."

Since he had never mastered the skill of typing, Leo slowly tapped out his message with one finger. It was neither complicated nor long; he simply said, _"I am with Michelangelo. We found each other and are getting acquainted. I'm going to spend the day here since it's so close to sunrise. Tell Master Splinter."_

As Leo clicked send, Mikey said, "We found each other? More like you tracked me down."

Leo's eyes were still on the computer screen and he smiled softly. "You could have lost me if you'd wanted to."

As he turned his head to look at Mikey, the youngster returned the smile. "I guess I didn't really want to."

Before Leo could respond, the laptop beeped. Looking at the screen, he saw that the reply wasn't from Donatello, it was from Raph.

_"Where the fuck are you?"_ the message read.

"He doesn't sound too happy," Mikey said worriedly.

"That's normal for Raph," Leo said, trying to assure the young turtle. "He's just very impatient."

"He might think you're in trouble and can't say anything, or that it might not even be you sending the message," Mikey said. "Don't you have some kinda code to let them know you really are safe?"

Leo held back from telling Mikey that his brothers knew no one would ever get him to send any kind of message to them against his will, even if it meant he was or would be tortured. The young turtle didn't need to hear the harsh reality of their lives just yet, though Leo thought Mikey would understand completely.

The family did have an all clear code though and that would suffice for letting his brothers know that the choice to stay with Mikey was his own.

"Yes we do," Leo answered, intrigued at how cunning Mikey was proving to be.

Once more Leo began to type, _"I'm underground and out of sight. Mikey is an excellent host. You should be able to forget about entertaining the notion of coming after me. Give the computer back to Donatello."_

After pressing send, he turned the computer so that Mikey could see the message better and asked, "Do you see the code?"

Mikey leaned down, his brow furrowed in concentration. After a minute, he said, "You could have just said 'don't come after me'. Is the message in that sentence?"

Leo smiled, delighted at Mikey's acumen. "It is. Look at the first eight words."

Pursing his lips, Mikey studied the words again and then his brow cleared. "I get it! If I skip every other word, starting with 'You', the first letters of the remaining words spell 'safe'."

"Exactly," Leo said. "The sentence itself doesn't really matter as long as it makes some kind of sense."

There was another ping from the laptop as it announced a new message. _"Raphael is fit to be tied; he thinks he's the only one who should be allowed to pull a disappearing act. I take it that Michelangelo is our mystery turtle. Interesting name. Will one day suffice or should I tell Father you'll be gone for an extended period of time?"_

Leo chuckled. The message was just so Donatello. Donny. Mikey was right; that nickname suited his smart brother very well.

When he glanced up, Leo saw that Mikey was giving him a questioning look.

"Don't worry about Raph, agitated is a fairly normal state of being for him," Leo explained. "I'm laughing at Don's sarcasm."

"Oh." Mikey sat up straighter, a look of understanding crossing his face. "Did he know that you were interested in me?"

"I told you he was smart," Leo said. "It's hard to hide things from him."

Mikey smiled shyly. "It's okay with me if you want to stay longer than a day. You can stay here as long as you want."

With those words, Leo felt as though his entire body had just been wrapped in a warm blanket. Forgetting everything else, he leaned towards Mikey and pressed a light kiss on the youngster's waiting lips. This time he felt Mikey's mouth move under his as the orange banded turtle returned the kiss.

Just as he was about to take the kiss a bit further, Leo was interrupted by another incoming message.

_"Are you in a subway station?"_

Mikey gasped slightly when he saw the message. "How did he . . . ?"

Frowning, Leo said, "My genius brother. He must have traced this signal. The other entrance you told me about, could he find it?"

"Not from the subway station," Mikey said. "They sealed everything over. I found this place partly by accident; I wanted to stay close to my original neighborhood and I did research to look for some old structure that might have the same setup as my school. That's how I found out about them building a new station on top of the old one.

"It took me a few days to find an entry point onto the old set of tracks and that's not even near here. I hid it too 'cause I didn't want anyone else to find my home."

Leo gave him a reassuring look before he began typing again. _"No, but I'm near one. Don't try to find us; I'll be home before you manage it. If the two of you promise to play nice, maybe Mikey will want to meet you."_

"Will they listen?" Mikey asked as he watched Leo send the message.

"Don will," Leo said. "He has ways of keeping Raph in line. Don't worry; no one is going to barge in here."

The ting of an incoming message drew both of their eyes.

_"I promise and I told Raphael that he does too, unless he wants to start having major difficulties with his motorcycle. I'm looking forward to meeting you, Michelangelo. Take care on your way home, Leonardo. The Dragons are on the warpath due to our earlier intervention. Out."_

Leo closed the laptop and handed it to Mikey. "You see? There are two things you should know about my family; Raph loves his motorcycle and Don never makes idle threats."

Mikey chuckled as he got up and took the laptop over to his desk. Reaching into a desk drawer, he turned back around to display a toothbrush wrapped in cellophane.

"They had boxes of these in a metal cabinet in the nurse's office," Mikey said. "You can have this one. I have a couple of space heaters in the bathroom to keep it warm and there are jugs of sterile water sitting near the heaters so that the water won't be too cold for rinsing your mouth or washing your hands. Come on and I'll show you where that is."

Leo stood up and walked over to Mikey, accepting the toothbrush from him and shoving it into his belt. As Mikey started to turn away, Leo caught his arm and stopped him.

"Mikey, wait," Leo said, moving closer to the young turtle. As Mikey looked up into his face, Leo said, "Step back when this starts to be too overwhelming for you."

It was all the warning he gave the younger turtle. Leo's fingers slid upwards along Mikey's arm so that he could cup the back of Mikey's neck in his hand, steadying Mikey's head. One of Mikey's hands came up quickly and flattened on Leo's plastron, but he made no attempt to push the older turtle away.

Leo circled Mikey's waist with his free hand and felt Mikey's other hand touch his hip. Staring into Mikey's eyes for just a second longer, Leo leaned in for another kiss.

As their mouths pressed together, Leo once more felt Mikey's lips return the kiss. Very gently, Leo opened his mouth against Mikey's, his heart beating wildly as Mikey mimicked the action.

Leo felt Mikey's body quivering against his, but the youth stood his ground. Emboldened, Leo touched his tongue to Mikey's lips before inserting it into the sweet warmth of Mikey's mouth.

It took a second for Mikey's tongue to come up and meet Leo's. As soon as it did, Leo's grip on Mikey tightened and he pressed his plastron against the younger turtle, forcing Mikey's arm to come up and circle Leo's neck.

Never in his life had Leo felt anything so incredible or so freeing. It was like his body had merged with Mikey's and then both had begun to float together. Leo couldn't feel any part of his body other than his tongue against Mikey's and the heat that had begun to flow between his legs.

Leo's churr took him by surprise; it was both strong and loud. Mikey responded with a churr of his own, softer but forceful enough to vibrate Leo's chest.

Shifting again, Leo pushed his groin against Mikey's. The action brought up another churr from the younger turtle, followed by a low moan.

Breathing harder, Leo began to ravish Mikey's mouth, his desire rising in intensity. He had just started to grind his lower plastron into Mikey's when the young turtle pulled away from the kiss with a gasp.

Neither turtle moved for a moment; their bodies still pressed firmly against one another's while their eyes met and held. Mikey was panting lightly and the movement of his plastron as he breathed further stimulated Leo.

Leo likewise breathed deeply, working to calm his burgeoning arousal. It took all of his mental strength to remember that he had to allow Mikey to have control of the situation.

"You taste good," Mikey finally said, obviously flustered. With a last deep inhale, Mikey stepped out of Leo's arms.

"So do you," Leo responded warmly. "Come on and show me to the bathroom before it gets much later. I think we could both do with some rest."

Mikey giggled and then said, "Okay, Leo. You're the boss."

TBC…..


	19. Part 19

The Lost Boy  
part 19

Fortunately for Leonardo, the bathroom stalls were still intact. When Mikey ducked into one to take care of his nightly business, Leo took advantage of his moment of privacy in order to quickly splash cold water on his face, neck, chest, and groin.

The kiss they had shared still had Leo's body tingling and the shock of icy water was the only thing he could think to use in order to calm his excitement. He had been bold in pulling Michelangelo into that kiss and it had been rewarding to discover that the young turtle shared his attraction.

Mikey's shyness when breaking the kiss was Leo's reminder to go slow. The problem was that even that brief encounter had aroused the older turtle so thoroughly that he knew if the cold water didn't bring him to his senses, he'd have to sleep on one of the wooden benches.

Leo was rinsing his mouth when Mikey joined him; the younger turtle's face flushed and eyes lowered. He didn't say anything to Leo as he began to brush his teeth and Leo suddenly had a thought that Mikey might need a few minutes to himself at the sink.

Sliding into a stall, Leo waited silently, listening as Mikey tipped water from a jug in order to clean his teeth. Then he heard the sound of the tap and knew that Mikey was also finding it necessary to splash some cold water on his body. Leo smiled widely, delighted to know that Mikey had found Leo's touch to be so stimulating.

Leo gave Mikey a few minutes of solitude before exiting the stall. Their eyes met in the cracked mirror that hung above the sink and the young turtle offered his guest a bashful smile that had Leo's heart thumping in his chest.

Mikey draped his towel over the rack near the one Leo had used and led the way back to his bedroom.

As he began turning off the various lamps that lit the interior, Mikey asked, "Do you want a bottle of water? I usually put one on the stand next to the bed in case I get thirsty at night."

"That would be nice, thank you," Leo said.

"'Kay, I'll be right back. Make yourself comfortable," Mikey told him as he left the room.

Leo carefully removed the remainder of his gear and stacked it neatly on the edge of Mikey's desk. The bed was carefully made and Leo turned back the covers, finding that Mikey used two mismatched blankets and a green sheet for warmth. When Leo saw that the fitted sheet and the cases on the three pillows were a blue that nearly matched his bandana, he blinked in surprise.

Shaking his head at the vagaries of coincidence, Leo crawled between the sheets and scooted back from the edge in order to leave space for Mikey. He was lying on his side looking at the door when Mikey came back in carrying the water and Leo watched the young turtle step up next to the bed so he could set the bottles down.

"I locked the place up for the night," Mikey said, "so if you need to visit the bathroom you'll have to undo the latch to get out. Um, you see that hatch in the ceiling over in the corner there?"

He pointed into a far corner of the room and Leo turned his head to look in that direction. The outline of a door was just visible against the fresh paint that Mikey had obviously used to spruce up his living quarters.

"An escape route?" Leo guessed as his eyes came back to Mikey.

"Yeah," Mikey said with a grin. "I learned a long time ago to never be in a room with only one exit."

"It's a good policy," Leo murmured, staring at Mikey's tail when the other turtle turned to shut off one of the two remaining lights in the room.

One small lamp was still lit; on the floor in a corner nearest the door, it gave off an illumination too faint to interfere with sleep, but bright enough to keep total darkness from enveloping the room.

Leo reached for a bottle of water and took a sip as he surreptitiously watched Mikey strip. The young turtle's belt and pads actually covered very little, but it was the thought that Mikey was removing his last vestige of 'clothing' that Leo found seductive.

Mikey must have felt something similar, because when he looked up to find Leo's eyes on him, a light flush colored his neck, obvious even in the low light. Taking a deep breath, Mikey sat on the edge of the bed and looked over his shoulder at Leo, giving his guest a shy smile.

"Are you okay against the wall?" Mikey asked. "I'll trade with you if you'd rather sleep on the outside."

"I'm very comfortable, Mikey," Leo said, his voice low and a shade deeper than normal. He couldn't help that; the feelings that he'd washed away with cold water were coming back in full force. Mikey's nearness had the most amazing physiological effect on him and Leo had a pretty good idea that it always would.

"I d . . . don't think I roll around too mu . . . much in my sleep," Mikey stuttered, obviously stalling. "Just smack me if I d . . . disturb you."

Leo suddenly found that Mikey's nervousness made him feel more confident; sure that it was a signal that Mikey needed Leo to give him some direction because the young turtle was determined not to run away.

"Lie down, Mikey," Leo said in a slightly guttural tone. "I'll be fine and so will you."

Mikey stared at him for a second and then nodded, spinning quickly so that he could slide his legs beneath the covers and then pulling them up to his chest.

Leo waited for the young turtle to relax before lifting himself up on an elbow in order to reach over Mikey and replace the water bottle on the nightstand. He could feel Mikey's eyes on him and waited until he was pulling his hand back in order to look down into those sparkling blue orbs.

Very slowly, Leo caressed Mikey's cheek with two fingers and then leaned down to place a softly chaste kiss to the youngster's lips. With a small smile, Leo pulled away and said, "Goodnight, Mikey."

When Leo lay back down, Mikey cleared his throat and said in a near whisper, "Goodnight, Leo."

On his side facing Mikey, Leo curved an arm underneath his pillow so that he could lift his head enough to see the younger turtle. Mikey's eyes were shut, but he was nibbling at his lower lip and his fingers were twisting together on his plastron. The young turtle's scent was strong from this close up and Leo could smell the unmistakable musk of arousal mingling with Mikey's naturally alluring essence.

After a minute or two, Mikey turned over on his side, presenting his carapace to Leo. The older turtle could almost hear Mikey's heartbeat and could tell that his host wasn't anywhere near sleep.

It was no surprise to Leo when Mikey broke the silence.

"Leo, do you think we're really brothers, like, _blood_ brothers?" Mikey asked in a soft voice.

Not sure where Mikey was going with the question, Leo answered as truthfully as he could, "Don says he doubts that we came from the same clutch because of certain physical differences between us, so we're not likely to be related by blood. We're mainly brothers because of the circumstances of our mutation, and for Raph, Don, and I, because of our upbringing."

"So technically, I'm not actually a brother," Mikey said.

"You're still family," Leo replied strongly, "whether you want to consider us to be brothers or not. You were lost to us for a time, but now we've found each other again. I think that was always meant to be."

Mikey was quiet for a few minutes and Leo had a feeling he was thinking about Leo's answers.

Leo heard Mikey sigh audibly and frowned, because the sound had a note of resignation to it.

"Mikey, talk to me," Leo said firmly.

Mikey shrugged but didn't change positions, almost as if he couldn't bear to look at Leo.

"Brothers can't have a physical relationship, can they, Leo?" Mikey asked, his voice quivering slightly. "'Cause isn't that wrong? Isn't that . . . incest? I don't want to lose you because we did something we weren't supposed to do."

For a moment Leo lay stunned, unable to move as he processed what Mikey had just said. Somehow in his pursuit of the lost boy, Leonardo had never considered the concept of human morality coming between them.

Now he had to find a way of explaining things to Mikey in a manner that would keep the young turtle from pulling away from him.

TBC…..


	20. Part 20

The Lost Boy  
part 20

Considering the amount of television that Michelangelo had watched while growing up, Leonardo felt as though he should have anticipated this type of hesitancy.

Leo wished that he could see Mikey's face because he had a feeling that would help him decide on how to deal with the obstacle Mikey had just tossed into their path. Mikey remained on his side however, facing away from the older turtle, his body stiff with tension. Knowing that all he could do was to carefully feel his way through the sensitive topic of incest, Leo thought about how he could best address the issue.

"Mikey, before I answer that question, please do something for me. I want you to tell me what you want from our relationship. Disregard what you've learned from television and books for the moment. Just reach into your heart and tell me what you feel," Leo said.

"You know as well as I do that doing what's right doesn't always mean you get what you want," Mikey said stubbornly.

"Humor me," Leo said. "Take the media out of our discussion. If this were your ideal world, what would happen between us?"

For a moment, Mikey was both silent and perfectly still. Leo waited, knowing that he needn't push the young turtle to answer.

"The first time I saw you guys, I didn't know what to think," Mikey began slowly. "I was mostly surprised I guess, and then I figured I should avoid all of you. But the more I thought about it, the more curious I got, and then after that last time when I let you see me I realized that what I mostly wanted was to know about _you_. I didn't understand why then, but it's probably the same reason that you're interested in me."

"We're attracted to each other," Leo said, keeping his voice low and even. "It is natural and instinctual for living things to seek out their own kind."

"Sure, I get that," Mikey said. "But we're the only ones of our kind, we're both male, and we're brothers. I don't want to be alone anymore and maybe that's why I'm so drawn to you. I really don't want to mess up by doing something with you that brothers aren't meant to do."

"All right," Leo said calmly. "Then answer this question; how many of the movies or television shows you've watched, or the books you've read, feature turtles?"

The question surprised Mikey into turning over onto his carapace so that he could stare at Leo.

"Turtles?" Mikey repeated and then appeared to think about the question before saying, "Other than some in cartoons, none."

"The primary characters in all of the entertainment you've grown up with have been human," Leo said. "How much do you know about _turtles_?"

Mikey appeared somewhat confused but also quite curious. "Not much I suppose," he admitted. "I've been so busy trying to survive, I haven't really thought about anything except getting to know what I could about humans."

"You've spent your entire life accepting the part of you that is human, the part of you that _became_ human because of a mutagen. At the same time you've instinctively avoided prolonged contact with humans, because by nature that isn't who you really are," Leo said. "That's a confusing mix of cultures to try and absorb. Now it's time for you to embrace your origin as a turtle. A turtles mating habits aren't the same as humans; they aren't constrained by religious or moral beliefs.

"If there are no females available, male turtles will mate each other when the need is strong enough. They will vie for dominance but not actually fight about it, and often take turns on top. Turtles will also mate a sibling because they don't realize that the other turtle _is_ a sibling. The only reason that is not ideal is that interbreeding is bad for the bloodline, which is not a problem we'd have to face.

"As far as human society goes, they haven't always agreed on the subject of incest either. There have been times in history when brothers and sisters were expected to marry and produce heirs in order to maintain certain royal bloodlines."

Once more Leo propped himself up on his elbow in order to look deeply into the younger turtle's vivid blue eyes. In them he could see the dawning of hope and how the concentrated furrow between Mikey's eyes was slowly smoothing out.

"Mikey, there is no one to judge us but ourselves," Leo said. "I have always lived by the bushido code and the ways of the warrior. In my search for the path to correct action and beauty I have adhered to the seven virtues; rectitude, courage, benevolence, respect, honesty, honor, and loyalty. These are truths that each of us can find in ourselves, and it is within ourselves that we make our choices.

"You have had none of the benefits of training with a ninjitsu master or the advantages of a loving family to guide you, yet on your own you have attained all seven of the virtues. In the story of your life I have come to respect your intellect, your wisdom, your fortitude, and your strength. I could ask for no finer mate and would be proud to have you become mine. But ultimately it is your choice and I will not pressure you nor will I expect it of you. If that isn't what you truly want, then we will live as brothers and I will never abandon you."

With that Leo lay back down. Mikey's eyes were pointed up towards the ceiling and his unblinking stare told Leo that the young turtle was deep in thought.

"Dude," Mikey finally said in a breathy exhale. "That was deep. You sure know how to give someone a lot to think about."

"Take your time Mikey," Leo told him. "It isn't as though you have to make a decision right this minute. Truthfully, I am very content to be here with you and to just enjoy your company. We don't have to rush into anything; I'm sure you'll want to sleep on this and think about it when you're more rested."

Mikey suddenly bounded upwards, throwing himself across Leo's shoulder and rolling the older turtle onto his carapace. Before Leo could react to the surprise attack, Mikey was straddling him, wearing a wide smile as he gazed down at his bedmate.

"Leo, are you really committed to going slow?" Mikey asked. "'Cause slow isn't exactly my style."

Rather than answer the question with words, Leo curved an arm around Mikey's neck and pulled him down into a heated kiss. Mikey quickly grasped Leo's shoulders and leaned into the kiss, his tongue no longer tentative but instead greedy and insistent.

When Mikey pulled back with a satisfied grin, Leo blinked up at him. "I somehow got the impression that you were shy," he said in amazement.

"Nah," Mikey said. "I just don't rush into things 'cause that always turns out badly. I don't have any problem with how this is turning out."

Leo's eyes narrowed slightly and the corners of his mouth lifted; his expression suddenly sly. Sliding sideways quickly, Leo escaped Mikey's grip and then grasped the younger turtles upper arms, tossing Mikey back onto his shell. When Mikey lifted his arms, Leo caught the young turtle's hands in his and pressed them into the mattress on either side of Mikey's head. Lying flat on top of Mikey, Leo stared down at him, searching his eyes.

Mikey's breathing was quick and deep and it wasn't because of any physical exertion. The expression on his face held that same teasing challenge that he had shown Leo while they were battling the Purple Dragons.

Slowly and deliberately, Mikey winked at him. Leo's smile grew wide just before his lips captured Mikey's.

TBC…


	21. Part 21

The Lost Boy  
part 21

Leo gasped through his fourth mounting, the insatiable young turtle beneath him pushing back against each thrust eagerly.

"M~Mikey," Leo rasped as he reached his shuddering completion, finishing only seconds after his newly claimed mate.

Breathing heavily, Leo fell forward against Mikey's carapace and the other turtle in turn collapsed onto the bed.

Legs shaking, Leo rolled off of his lover and fell on the mattress next to him. The bed seemed to rock beneath their pounding hearts as both turtles struggled to contain them.

Mikey chuckled against the bedding, the sound muffled and breathy, before lifting his head slightly to say, "Sleep is overrated."

Leo filled his lungs deeply and then exhaled, laughing as his breathing finally slowed. "At this rate you'll kill me before I get the chance to worry about sleep," he said humorously.

Scooting closer so that he could fling his upper body across Leo's, Mikey nuzzled into the older turtle's pulse point and sighed contentedly.

"This is for keeps, right Leo?" Mikey asked.

Leo stroked Mikey's carapace, his eyes shut as he drifted lazily in the warmth of his mate's proximity. "Absolutely for keeps, Mikey," Leo answered. "Now that we've found each other, I can't even begin to think of life without you."

"Me either," Mikey said. "I didn't know that I was missing out on anything until you showed me how good hanging out with you was. I could probably go back to being alone if I had to, but now it would kind of suck. I mean, I guess it sucked before, I just didn't realize it."

Leo chuckled lightly and then forced his eyes open. "The sun will set in a couple of hours," he said, glancing at Mikey's clock.

"Yeah," Mikey said, shifting his head so that his cheek was against Leo's plastron.

Glancing down, Leo saw the frown on Mikey's face and waited expectantly for a few minutes, but Mikey remained silent. Whatever was bothering the young turtle, Leo knew he couldn't allow it to fester.

"Mikey, I'm your brother, your friend, and your lover," Leo said. "You can tell me anything; you don't need to hold back."

"I don't recall _ever_ holding back on you," Mike replied teasingly. He rubbed his cheek on Leo's scutes and then looked up so that he could meet the older turtle's eyes. "You'll have to go home won't you?"

Leo wrapped both arms around the young turtle and held him tightly. Mikey exhaled, lowering his head to Leo's chest once more.

"Yes," Leo said, telling Mikey what the other turtle had already guessed. "I'm the leader of our clan as well as their brother. I have a duty and a responsibility to my family which I must honor."

"Is it very hard?" Mikey asked, his voice slightly muffled by Leo's plastron. "I mean, being the one who calls all the shots sounds great, but that's also a lot of weight to carry around. If you have to make every decision then you'd be tempted to beat yourself up if something didn't go just right."

Leo stared at the ceiling overhead, the feeling of Mikey's mouth gently kissing his scutes both relaxing and faintly arousing.

"It's all I've ever wanted," Leo said quietly, "all I've desired since I was small. I've worked very hard to achieve this position and it's important to me. You're important to me too, Mikey. To make this work I have to fully integrate you into my life."

Mikey sighed and Leo knew the youngster was intelligent enough to understand what he was being told.

"For us to be together, I need to go with you when you go home," Mikey said.

"Does that bother you?" Leo asked, concerned at the less than enthusiastic response.

"As long as your brothers don't know me, they can't say they don't like me," Mikey replied honestly. "They can't really ask you to choose between me or them 'cause they couldn't ever say I was bad for you."

Leo shifted one of his arms so that he could place his fingers beneath Mikey's chin and lift the young turtle's head. Once his eyes were locked with Mikey's, Leo said, "You are family, Mikey. _Our_ brothers will get to know how wonderful you are just as I do and we'll all be together again the way it should have been in the first place. No one is going to suggest anything as ridiculous as my having to make a choice between any of you. We'll go to the lair together and you will be confident and sure of yourself because you know I'll always be by your side."

Mikey eyes twinkled as he smiled and then the smile turned mischievous. "That sounds to me like I just got my first order from my new leader."

"How did it feel?" Leo asked with a laugh.

"Not too bad," Mikey answered, squirming in Leo's arms so that he could plant an enthusiastic kiss on the older turtle's mouth. Pulling back, he said, "I don't know how big your 'lair' is, but you guys could always move down here so we could all be together. The outer room is cavernous."

"The lair is very large," Leo said, "and I'd like for you to move in there with us. You could stay with me in my room, or we can fix up a room of your own. It would be a much larger space than this."

Mikey's eyes widened with excitement. "Would that room be close to yours?"

"Right next door," Leo told him, happy that his lover was responding favorably to the idea of relocating.

"I'd like to have my own room," Mikey said. "Not that bunking with you every night wouldn't be awesome, but I wanna be just like everybody else. No one could ever say you're playing favorites and I could still be independent and lock myself in my room when we have an argument."

Leo nearly choked on his own laughter. "Are you planning on those in advance?"

"Make up sex is supposed to be awesome," Mikey responded with a semi-serious expression on his face.

Still chuckling, Leo pulled the young turtle tightly against his chest. "We're not finished with the 'getting to know you' sex yet. Don't rush things."

"I'll make notes later," Mikey said with a wink. "What about this place? I just got it all fixed up. Maybe we should keep it as our private getaway, you know, for those times when I want to get really loud."

"Louder than you were earlier?" Leo teased.

"_Way_ louder," Mikey told him, grinning.

Leo smiled, his heart fluttering at the tone in Mikey's voice. "On a slightly serious note, I think it would be a good idea to keep this place," Leo said. "Our enemies have never given up trying to find our lair; if they ever managed to do so, it would be advantageous to have a livable backup home at the ready."

"You have the best plans," Mikey said, kissing the line of skin just above Leo's plastron.

Shifting his legs to ease the growing problem between them, Leo said in a mildly guttural tone, "Maybe we should try to get a little sleep."

Mikey lifted his head, his hooded eyes increasing the pressure in Leo's groin. "It takes a little time to heat the water for a bath. We should probably start doing that unless you want to go home messy."

Leo thought about it for a minute, not really wanting to waste their last couple of hours bathing, and asked, "Have you ever had a shower, Mikey?"

"Nope," Mikey answered. "I was lucky to get a proper bath when I was growing up."

"We have a huge tub at the lair," Leo said, "and we also have a row of large shower stalls. With the twist of a knob you can have water as warm as you want it, thanks to Donatello. No more hauling heated water just so you can bathe. We can take a quick sponge bath before we leave, and then indulge in a nice, long shower together at your new home."

With the quick agility Leo had learned was a part of Mikey's nature, the young turtle crawled on top of him, straddling his waist.

"I guess that means we have some extra time before we have to leave," Mikey said, shifting his hips so that he could grind his lower half against Leo's plastron. "Do you really want to spend it sleeping?"

Leo's efforts to stay tucked away failed and as soon as he sprang to attention, Mikey's groping hand enveloped the solid mass of flesh. Scooting back, Mikey began to guide Leo into his target, leaving the older turtle to groan with pleasure.

"Sleep . . . is . . . overrated," Leo grunted as Mikey began to ride him.

TBC….


	22. Part 22

The Lost Boy  
part 22

Before they left Michelangelo's hideout, the young turtle packed a few of his belongings into a sturdy yet worn backpack. Amongst the things he tucked inside was his laptop, which he handled with loving care. Leo understood his sentiment; the laptop was Mikey's only link to the world above him and his only way to interact with the people living in it.

Mikey showed Leo the alternate way out of his home and the pair took to the rooftops as soon as they were topside. Running alongside his mate, Leo gloried in Mikey's quickness and athleticism. The younger turtle made Leo push himself to keep up and the challenge was invigorating.

When they neared the area where the lair was situated, Leo led the way into the sewers and then showed Mikey how to get to his new home. Mikey watched in fascination as Leo turned the valve that caused the pipes to slide away from a portion of the bricked up wall, and then spun the wheel that opened the hidden key pad.

Once he punched in the proper code, the bricks slid aside and the door into the lair opened. Mikey stood completely still as he stared at the entrance and Leo rubbed his arm reassuringly before preceding the young turtle inside.

No one was around when Leo walked into the lair with Mikey. The light was on in Donatello's lab, so Leo headed in that direction. He'd only taken a couple of steps before Don came out, drying his hands on an old rag and staring curiously at the young turtle who accompanied his brother.

Mikey had been looking all around him with something akin to awe before he spotted the genius turtle. The smile on the youngster's face was small and tentative, but Don's reciprocating smile was both bright and welcoming. Upon seeing it, Mikey's grin widened to a brilliance that made Leo's heart thump in his chest.

"Michelangelo, this is Donny. Donatello, meet Mikey," Leo said, introducing his mate to the purple banded genius.

"Donny?" Don asked, lifting an eye ridge.

"It's a nickname," Mikey answered. "Leo asked me to come up with one for you and Raph."

"Oh he did, did he?" Don shot a knowing look at Leo. "I like it, Mikey. Thanks. What is that?"

Don pointed at the laptop that Mikey had removed from his backpack and was now cradling in his arms.

Holding it up, Mikey said, "It's my laptop. Leo said you might be able to help me figure out what's wrong with it."

"Sure, I think we can do that," Don said. "Bring it into my lab and we'll take a look at it."

Mikey glanced at Leo as he passed him and Leo smiled his encouragement, happy to see how readily the two were accepting each other.

The smell of incense reminded Leo that his father was meditating and that he needed to talk to Master Splinter.

"Mikey, I'm going to speak to my father," Leo said, indicating the door to Master Splinter's room. "I'll be in there if you need me."

The young turtle looked towards the door and then back at Leo. "Okay," he said in a small voice.

"We'll be fine Leo, won't we Mikey?" Don said in his most disarming voice. "We're going to get to know each other while we work on that laptop. Come on in Mikey, you can drop your backpack anywhere in here."

Leo saw Mikey's shoulders relax at Don's soothing tone and knew instantly that the pair was going to become fast friends. Don entered the lab first, leaving it up to Mikey to decide if he wanted to join him. With barely a second's hesitation, Mikey followed.

Before Leo moved away from Don's lab door, he listened carefully, happy to hear the low murmur of voices that told him the two were comfortable with each other. Taking a deep breath, Leo started towards Master Splinter's room.

Halfway there the sound of the elevator caught his attention and Leo turned around to watch as Raph stepped into the lair. Raph was contemplating the greasy engine part that he was holding, starting off in the direction of Don's lab when he saw Leo.

Coming to a complete stop, Raph stared at his oldest brother and then stalked towards him.

"That was some fucking ballsy stunt ya' pulled," Raph said belligerently before he even reached Leo.

"Your concern is touching," Leo said, mildly sarcastic. "It isn't as though I pulled one of your disappearing acts. You knew exactly where I was and what I was doing."

Raph's eyes narrowed and he started to say something when his mouth suddenly snapped shut. Leaning forward, his nostrils flared slightly and Leo began to wish he and Mikey had taken a quick bath.

"Ya' sneaky son of a bitch," Raph said as he straightened. "I guess I do know what ya' was doing. Ya' were just determined not ta give anyone else a chance, weren't ya?"

"Mikey and I are in a relationship, if that's what you're alluding to," Leo said calmly. "He's done a very good job of taking care of himself, but now it's time he joins this family and assumes his rightful place in the clan."

"Oh ho, so ya' brought him home with ya'," Raph said, his gold eyes shimmering lustfully. "This should be fun."

"He is our lost brother, Raphael. I expect you to treat him well," Leo said darkly.

"What are ya' gonna do about it if I don't?" Raph challenged. "If it's okay for ya' to fuck your new brother, I don't see why it wouldn't be just fine for me ta fuck him too."

"Michelangelo is my mate," Leo said, his voice harsh. "He made that choice of his own free will. You will not cause a disturbance in this family by making unwanted advances towards him."

"Who's ta say they'd be unwanted?" Raph asked, leering dangerously at Leo. "Could be he might like the idea of having a go at it with another of his new brothers."

Leo's muscles quivered as his protective instincts went on high alert. Raph grinned at him, apparently seeing the change in Leo's demeanor.

"I told him he would be safe in our home," Leo growled menacingly. "You had better make sure that he _is_ safe here. Don't cross that line, Raphael."

Any further retort by Raph was cut-off by the appearance of Don and Mikey as they stepped out of the lab. The sight of his young mate made Leo relax visibly, though he didn't miss the calculating look Raph sent from him to Mikey.

Don didn't miss it either. "We're running a full scan and diagnostic on Mikey's hard drive and thought we'd take a break to get something cool to drink."

"Hey Mikey," Raph called out, bumping Leo's shoulder purposely as he moved past the older turtle. "I'm glad ta meet ya'. My name's Raphael."

Mikey's eyes widened just a fraction as the large turtle bore down on him, but he held his ground. "Hello," he replied in a steady voice. "It's nice to finally meet you too, Raph."

"Mikey has nicknames for all of us," Don explained when he saw Raph's puzzled look. "He calls me Don or Donny, and Leonardo is Leo."

"Clever," Raph said with an engaging grin. "I was on my way ta see if Donny here had a replacement for this busted part. Why don't I set it down and we all go ta the kitchen for a drink? I need ta wash the grease off my hands anyway."

"Are you going to join us, Leo?" Mikey asked.

"He can't right now," Raph said, answering for his brother. "He has ta go talk ta Master Splinter about ya'."

Raph shot Leo a challenging smirk, his eyes daring Leo to make a scene. Anything that Leo could do about Raph's barely disguised advances on the young turtle would make Mikey uncomfortable.

"We'll all be together when you finish talking to sensei," Don assured Leo, seeing his dilemma and immediately understanding what Raph was up to.

"Yeah, a perfect little threesome," Raph said, his voice a deep purr. "Maybe after we have that drink, me and Donny here can show Mikey around the lair."

The innuendo wasn't lost on Leo and he decided he should probably put off speaking to his father. As he started towards the group, he was stopped by the sound of Master Splinter's voice.

"Leonardo! Please join me at once!"

When Leo stopped, Raph's taunting grin grew larger. "Ya' better go check in, Leo," he said. "Ya' know how sensei hates ta be kept waiting."

Leo exchanged glances with Don, who nodded confidently at him and placed a protective hand on Mikey's shoulder. With a final look at Raph's pleased leer, Leo headed for Master Splinter's room, feeling more than a little trepidation at leaving Mikey with his lecherous red banded brother.

TBC…


	23. Part 23

The Lost Boy  
part 23

Leo took one last look over his shoulder as he stood before Master Splinter's door. His young lover was walking towards the kitchen, flanked on either side by Raph and Don. Mikey seemed to feel Leo's eyes on him, because he too glanced back, a smile etching his lips as he tipped Leo a wink.

Feeling confident at Mikey's ability to handle himself, Leo slid the shoji aside and stepped into his father's room.

Master Splinter looked up as Leo entered, pulling the door shut behind him. Crossing to the mat that was on the floor in front of his father's small table, Leo quickly kneeled, his head bowed in respect.

"You have brought the young turtle home with you," Master Splinter stated.

"Yes Father, I have," Leo said.

"Your brothers told me that you had located him and that they left it to you to make his acquaintance, as he appeared to be too shy to willingly speak to all three of you at once," Master Splinter said.

Leo thought he did a good job of hiding the surprise he felt on learning that his brothers had covered for his rash action in chasing down Michelangelo.

"He is not shy, sensei, just extremely cautious," Leo explained. "Michelangelo has learned the hard way that interacting with others has many perils."

"Michelangelo," Master Splinter said slowly. "Donatello told me that was his name. Perhaps since you have spent so much time together, Michelangelo has told you of his antecedents. Please share his story with me."

Leo watched his father's face as he began retelling Mikey's story from the beginning. Master Splinter's eyes remained open and thoughtful as Leo explained how Mikey had awakened inside a child's backpack. When Leo reached the point in Mikey's story where the young turtle had begun to fix up the sub-basement as a living space, Master Splinter closed his eyes.

Master Splinter did not interrupt even once as Leo spoke. Years of training made it easy for Leo to repeat all of his conversation with Mikey verbatim and to describe in detail everything he had seen. Observation was a skill that Master Splinter insisted they all excel in and Leo was able to paint an accurate mental picture for his father.

The only things Leo left out regarding his time in Mikey's company were when the two of them were intimate. Those conversations and actions were strictly private and as far as Leo was concerned, far outside of his father's purview.

Master Splinter was silent when Leo reached the end of his story and his son remained so as well, waiting for his father to speak. Finally Master Splinter stirred and opened his eyes.

"May I see your injury, Leonardo?" Master Splinter asked.

Leo stood up and walked around the table, kneeling when he reached his father's side. Turning his shoulder, Leo leaned in close so that Master Splinter could inspect the wound that Mikey had stitched up.

"Thank you my son," Master Splinter said as he finished appraising Mikey's handiwork. "A most intelligent and resourceful young turtle, this Michelangelo, I am impressed. I do not know how I could have missed him on that most fortunate morning when my path took me to you three. I am inclined towards your assessment that he was found by a human child before I chanced upon you."

Moving back around the table, Leo once more took up his position on his knees before his father. "Michelangelo and Donatello have taken an immediate liking to one another," Leo said. "I believe that Mikey can easily be assimilated into our family."

"As it appears he rightfully belongs here, I cannot argue the point," Master Splinter said. "What of Raphael?"

Leo knew that his expression darkened slightly but try as he might, he could not completely disguise his feelings. "Raphael is having a difficult time adapting to the change."

Master Splinter looked at him a moment, one eyebrow lifted, before saying, "Your brother Raphael is jealous of the relationship you have established with Michelangelo, is he not?"

Leo's head came up quickly. "My . . . relationship?"

His father smiled slightly, nose twitching as he did so. "Did you think to keep this from me, Leonardo? I knew there were parts of your story that you were avoiding. Your scent is strong now and the scent of another is mingled with it."

Once more Leo berated himself for skipping a bath in favor of the lustful images of Mikey trapped between him and the shower stalls tile wall.

"Michelangelo and I were drawn to one another from the moment we first saw each other," Leo explained.

"And is this why you went in pursuit of him, separating yourself from your brothers in the midst of a battle?" Master Splinter asked.

Leo remembered belatedly that Donatello was never very good at lying to their father. "The battle had drawn to a close and I knew that Raphael and Donatello had already left the scene. We had become separated during the fight and the police were approaching. Following Michelangelo seemed a prudent move at the time."

Master Splinter sighed. "Michelangelo may have been lost to us early in his life, but that does not take away from the fact that he is your brother. You intentionally pursued him not merely out of curiosity, but because of a physical desire. It was a dangerous lapse of judgment."

"It was a calculated risk," Leo insisted. "All of us wanted to know more about Michelangelo but he had evaded us at every turn. This was my opportunity to finally catch up to him. If all three of us had gone after him, he would have gotten away again; he made it very clear to me that I was the only one he trusted."

"Because of his interest in you," Master Splinter said. "I understand that very well, Leonardo. The fact remains that he is your brother."

"And we are turtles," Leo responded, somewhat heatedly. "If we had remained in our natural state, relegated to a glass tank for the remainder of our lives, we would have become physically attached to one another. One cannot go against ones nature."

Master Splinter remained calm, not turning a hair as his star pupil expressed himself in such an unusually passionate manner. "I am not denying your nature, Leonardo. Nor am I forbidding your union based upon any moral issue. I am in agreement with you that they do not apply."

Leo blinked in confusion. "I do not understand, Master Splinter. From your words I gathered that you did not approve."

"You are my son and I would not begrudge you the opportunity to love and be loved in return," Master Splinter said. "Every living thing should be afforded that connection. My primary concern has to do with your ability to lead this clan if one member of your team has also become your lover."

"I would never allow my relationship with Mikey to interfere with my duty as leader," Leo said, hurt that his father would suggest such a thing.

"Those are easy words to say when you are not facing an adversary," Master Splinter continued smoothly. "Are you certain that you could abandon Michelangelo to an unknown fate should that necessity arise? Could you sacrifice him in order to save Raphael and Donatello? Such are the types of command decisions you might possibly face."

"Michelangelo has a remarkable grasp of the position that I'm in," Leo said resolutely. "He knows that there will be times when I must overlook what we have between us in order to be this clan's leader."

Master Splinter nodded as he contemplated Leo's words. "If young Michelangelo's story had not shown him to be of such strong character, I would question your assessment. I believe that it is possible where you might hesitate in battle to place him in harm's way, he would comprehend the situation and do what was needed."

"He is unique," Leo said, his voice soft as he thought of his lover.

"Just as you are, Leonardo," Master Splinter said. "You each have special qualities that separate you from the others, but those qualities serve to bind you together as well. I will speak to Michelangelo once he has settled into his new home and has had the chance to become better acquainted with his long lost brothers."

"Thank you, sensei," Leo said, feeling relief that Master Splinter was giving him the chance to prove that he could continue to lead his brothers despite his feelings for Michelangelo.

"You do realize that the difficulty you are having with Raphael over this will have to be resolved quickly and amicably?" Master Splinter asked.

"Yes, sensei," Leo said, though he had no idea how he would go about calming either Raph's tendency to mutiny or his libido.

The corners of Master Splinter's mouth twitched as he attempted to hide a smile. "Perhaps it would be best to allow this situation to be resolved without your protective interference," Master Splinter suggested. "Raphael will feel less resentment if you are not telling him how he might be allowed to interact with Michelangelo. The young turtle must also learn to handle Raphael's temperament on his own, for you will not always be available. If you are determined to forge a team from this new dynamic, your brothers must each learn to trust the other implicitly."

Leo could see his father's point, but it was difficult for him to release his protective instincts. Just as he stayed out of any arguments that Raph and Donny had, leaving it to them to resolve, Leo had to likewise allow Mikey to fend for himself.

"I will do my best, sensei," Leo promised.

"There will be the need for additional conversation as we settle this 'lost boy' into his new home," Master Splinter said. "In the meantime, you are dismissed so that you may assist him in getting established."

"Thank you, sensei," Leo said as he stood up. "I am going to give him the room next to mine. Having a space of his own will help him to integrate into this new environment more easily."

"An excellent idea," Master Splinter said.

Leo bowed to his father and left the room, happy that their discussion had taken the path that it did, even though Master Splinter had called Leo out on his attempted deception. It felt better to have spoken the truth rather than to begin his new life with Mikey under a cloud of deceit.

There was still the matter of Raphael do be dealt with and Leo's concern with regards to his red banded brother's intentions wasn't as easily set aside as Master Splinter felt they should be.

It didn't help that at that exact moment the raised voices of Raphael and Michelangelo reached his ears, followed by a very loud crash.

TBC…


	24. Part 24

The Lost Boy  
part 24

When Leo left his brothers so that he could speak to Master Splinter, they had been on their way to the kitchen, but the distinct sounds of a scuffle were coming from the dojo. Leo was off in a flash, his heart thumping wildly as it tried to climb into his throat.

Halfway there, Raph's inarticulate growl rent the air, followed immediately by a heavy thump.

Just as Leo reached the door to the dojo, he heard Donatello say, "You know Raph, I think he's proven his point."

It was the calmness of that delivery that slowed Leo, preventing him from simply barreling through the door. Pulling himself together, he stepped into the dojo.

Leo's eyes sought out Michelangelo first. The young turtle was standing off to the side of the practice mats, his hands on his hips and a wide smile on his face. When he saw Leo, Mikey's blue eyes twinkled mischievously, a sure sign that he had found a source of entertainment.

Following the direction of Mikey's gaze, Leo saw Raphael lying upside down on the floor, his legs tangled in the bar bell rack. Nearby, the shelves that held their sports equipment was in shambles; boards broken, balls, skates, rackets, and other gear scattered everywhere.

Donatello was leaning against a wall, arms crossed over his plastron, and one heel braced against the brickwork. He didn't appear in the least bit agitated, merely indulgent and a tiny bit satisfied.

In a voice that was much calmer than he felt, Leo asked, "Would anyone care to tell me what's going on in here?"

Don's head turned towards him slowly and Leo once more saw a small glint of satisfaction in his eyes. "We were curious about how Mikey learned to fight. When he told us that he acquired his skills from books, television, and the internet, Raph expressed his skepticism."

That was Don's polite way of saying that Raph had scoffed at the young turtle. Leo watched as Raph tugged his foot out from between the metal racks, surreptitiously rubbing the back of one ankle before standing up.

"He challenged Mikey to two out of three falls," Don continued, chuckling slightly. "According to Raph, strength is the greatest factor in determining who will be victorious in a hand-to-hand combat situation."

It wasn't the first time Leo had heard that proclamation from his red banded brother. Raph prided himself on his advanced musculature and truth be told, it did give him plenty of advantages. Unfortunately, Raph had sacrificed a lot in the way of finesse by clinging so obstinately to that belief.

"I said I didn't believe you have to be big to be a great fighter," Mikey said, the teasing tone of his voice reminding Leo of the first time the young turtle had allowed them to have a glimpse of him.

Raph was glowering at them now, the set of his shoulders daring Leo to say something. Leo carefully avoided looking at him so as not to escalate the situation.

"Mikey pointed out that quickness, skill, and agility could overcome brute strength," Don said, filling in the rest of the story. "He told us that Bruce Lee was not a big guy, but that one of his punches could send a grown man flying across the room. Raph said that Bruce Lee was an actor and that everything he did was choreographed and faked."

"He was an actor _after_ he became a great martial artist," Mikey said vehemently.

Leo finally did look at Raph and caught the little lift at the corner of his mouth before Raph could hide it. Narrowing his eyes, Leo realized that Raph had been baiting the young turtle purposely. Raph was a big fan of Lee's and knew quite well that the man had unprecedented skills.

Learning that Mikey had a bit of hero worship when it came to Lee, Raph picked at it just to get the smaller turtle into the dojo. No doubt in the back of his mind was the notion that he could pin Mikey, thus proving his dominance while at the same time establishing as much physical contact as possible.

"Mikey is a lot stronger than he looks," Don practically chortled. "And he's a lot trickier than Raph expected. Every time Raph thought he had Mikey locked, Mikey wriggled out of his hold."

"I'll know better next time," Raph said, finally breaking his silence as he looked directly at Mikey. "Ya' got some moves, I'll grant ya' that, but I was going easy on ya'. When we get together for practice, the two of us are gonna spar and I ain't falling for any of your tricks."

With that pronouncement, Raph strode out of the dojo, exchanging glances with Don but ignoring Leo as he passed him.

Once he was gone, Leo walked further into the dojo and Mikey met him halfway. The last bit of apprehension that Leo had felt slipped away as Mikey began to chuckle.

"He really was letting up on me," Mikey said. "I could tell. I wanted to show him that I can give as good as I get. Was that wrong?"

"No it was not," Don answered in place of Leo. "If you want to earn Raph's respect, you can't let him push you around."

Don left his position against the wall and came over to join the pair. Leo smiled at him, grateful that Don had been keeping a watchful eye on Mikey.

"Raph has a bite to go along with his bark," Leo told Mikey, "but you couldn't ask for a better ninja or warrior to watch your back in a fight. He'll get used to you, give him time. Don likes to get to know people by talking to them, but Raph has a more physical approach for taking someone's measure."

"And you use a combination of both methods, right Leo?" Mikey asked with a grin.

The insinuation was pretty obvious and Leo felt his skin heat up, a combination of self-consciousness and arousal brought on by recent memories.

Don snorted and broke the spell. When Leo glanced at him, he saw that Don was grinning.

"Since you don't seem very agitated, I'm going to guess that Master Splinter hasn't any problem with the arrangement between you and Mikey," Don hazarded.

Leo shook his head, his lips curving upwards in a smile he was sure looked a little foolish, but he couldn't help himself.

"You'll meet Master Splinter at dinner, Mikey," Leo said. "He's going to let you get settled before he talks to you. I've told him about your life and he's very impressed."

"Speaking of dinner, it's your turn to cook," Don reminded Leo.

"I can help," Mikey said excitedly. "I'm a good cook."

"Better than Leo I hope," Don teased. "We'll be having spaghetti for dinner because that's the only thing Leo knows how to make."

"I can make rice," Leo offered in protest, though he was laughing.

Don turned to Mikey and said, "Why don't you take your backpack upstairs to the room Raph and I pointed out to you? The last person to sleep there was our friend April and that was some time ago, so you'll want to pull the dust cover off of the bed. There are fresh sheets and pillowcases in the top drawer of the dresser."

Mikey looked at Leo who nodded. "I'll be in the kitchen when you're done. Maybe you can figure out a way to keep my sauce from tasting like paste."

"Spices, dude," Mikey said. "You can't be scared of them."

He trotted off, his mood buoyant, and Don followed Leo into the kitchen. As Leo began pulling pots and pans out preparatory to cooking, Don poured himself a cup of coffee and took a seat at the kitchen table.

After a couple of minutes, Leo said, "He knows you wanted him out of the way so that you could talk to me."

"I have no doubt about that," Don said with the ghost of a smile. "Michelangelo is very sharp. He also knew exactly what Raph was up to and wasn't in the least afraid of him."

"Mikey was tentative about meeting you guys at first," Leo said, turning around so he could lean against the countertop as he talked to Don. "I don't think he's actually afraid of all that much."

"That was certainly the impression that I got," Don said. "He has a very positive attitude for having practically lived in solitary confinement his entire life."

For a moment Don stared thoughtfully at his cup and Leo waited. Donatello's mind worked fast, sometimes much faster than he could talk, and they had all learned to give him time to complete a thought before he began speaking.

"Michelangelo is fascinating," Don began. "I was studying him while he sparred with Raph. Do you realize that the way he moves shouldn't even be possible considering how our shells are fused to our spines? His is smaller too; it opens up all sorts of questions about how the mutagen worked. Is his body different because more mutagen spilled on him, or less? Was the additional deposit of human DNA from the kid who picked him up responsible for his amazing flexibility?

"I need to add his physical parameters to the data base I've compiled on the three of us and do a comparative analysis. I know he's never had that type of an exam but it's really necessary, there are things I need to know about him should he ever be injured. I'll have to draw blood, collect a urine sample, oh and I should bank some of his blood like I've done with ours if he should ever need a transfusion.

"I'll need to administer a set of written, verbal, and visual tests as well. His IQ seems above normal, his cognitive and motor skills are off the charts. Mikey's ability to adapt to situations shows the type of fluidity that . . . .

Leo tuned him out as Don prattled on, content to watch in fascination as the zealot's light flooded his genius brother's eyes. No doubt these were all things Don had been thinking about since they first encountered Michelangelo.

". . . and I wanted to ask you if it was okay for me to proceed," Don finished.

"He's your brother too, why don't you ask him?" Leo said, his brow furrowed slightly.

Don looked puzzled. "But I thought you . . . ."

"I'm his lover, not his keeper," Leo explained. "He has free will just as any member of this family does. I'm not going to give him special treatment outside of the bedroom, Donatello. Master Splinter and I have agreed it wouldn't be in our best interests as a family and would be unfair to Mikey as well. Trust me when I say he understands completely."

"Oh, okay," Don said, blinking owlishly and sitting up straighter. "He really is our brother, isn't he? I have to get used to that."

"So you don't mind this new addition to our household?" Leo asked.

Don seemed startled by the question. "Of course not. He's one of us. He belongs. I can't wait to get to know my baby brother better."

They both heard Mikey humming as he approached and Don stood up. He and Leo exchanged a look of complete understanding as Mikey walked into the kitchen.

"Find everything, Mikey?" Don asked.

"It's perfect," he said enthusiastically. "Can I paint the walls?"

"You can do anything you want to that room," Leo said. "It's your room, it should reflect your personality."

"Cool," Mikey said, turning to begin his inspection of the spice rack.

"I'm going to have a look at your laptop Mikey," Don said, heading out of the kitchen. "Have fun with your cooking."

"'kay, thanks!" Mikey chirped.

As soon as Don disappeared from sight, Leo spun around and wrapped his arms around Mikey's waist, pulling the young turtle against his body.

"Shall I tell you what Don has in store for you?" Leo husked against the side of Mikey's neck.

Mikey shivered, leaning into Leo's touch. "I'm more concerned with what you have in store for me," he said. "Maybe we should do something about dinner first? You've lived here for like, _forever_, but I'm still trying to rack up brownie points."

Leo reluctantly released him, but not before nipping suggestively at the young turtle's neck.

"You're right," Leo said with a sigh. "There's still a lot to do around here before we can have some time to ourselves again."

"Looking forward to it," Mikey said with a grin.

Leo stood back and watched in wonder as Mikey began to pull together a meal almost effortlessly. The young turtle hadn't asked what needed doing and Leo was sure it was because Mikey already knew. He had, after all, given Leo and Don plenty of alone time before rejoining them.

With his father's blessing and Donatello in agreement on Mikey's place in the family under Leo's belt, that left just one family member to be dealt with.

Raphael.

TBC…..


	25. Part 25

The Lost Boy  
part 25

Leo learned something else about his new mate that evening; the lost boy aka Michelangelo, was a great cook.

The spaghetti was al dente and the sauce would have delighted a gourmet chef. Mikey even whipped up some crusty garlic rolls to go along with the meal, complimented by a crisp garden salad topped with a light homemade vinaigrette. When Leo had asked how he had learned to cook so well, Mikey had simply said he read cook books on the internet.

Don had been their best cook due to his belief that cooking was just like any science experiment, the proper ingredients combined in the correct proportions would produce acceptable results. His meals were good and wholesome, but in no way could they be characterized as inspired.

Mikey's cooking was almost an art, his effervescent personality flowing from his hands into the raw materials that were available in their larder. After a few minutes of attempting to assist Mikey, Leo finally realized he was a hindrance and stood aside to let Mikey work.

Dinner, by Leo's observations, was a huge success. Even Raph showed an appreciation for the good food, enthusiastically requesting not only seconds but thirds. Raph, who was not known for being effusive in his praise, practically gushed over the food, complimenting Mikey with nearly every bite.

Mikey, unused to such flattery, responded favorably, turning his attention to the red banded turtle. Once Raph knew that Mikey was focused on him, he held onto that advantage.

When Raphael wanted to make the effort, he could turn on an incredible amount of personal charm and charisma, and it appeared that he had decided to work that for Mikey. Raph engaged Mikey in a lively conversation, getting the young turtle to tell him about some of the challenges in his life. Mikey was so thrilled to have such a receptive audience that he regaled them with several tales that even Leo hadn't heard.

As he ate his dinner, Master Splinter studied Mikey, and Leo could see by the way his father's head was tilted that his reaction to the youngster was favorable.

Donatello on the other hand had grown quiet as Raph subtly flirted with Mikey. Leo frowned as he surreptitiously observed his genius brother, who had earlier been quite excited about the newest member of their family. From the faint line on his chin to his wide open eyes, Leo could tell that Don had become displeased by something.

The only thing that had really changed from before dinner until the present was that Raph was being much more attentive and genial towards Mikey. A thought came to Leo that explained the almost sad look on Don's face and Leo tabled it for later consideration.

At the moment Leo was beginning to be more than a little put off by Raph's efforts to engage Mikey in sole conversation, holding the young turtle's attention almost to the exclusion of everyone else. The pair had discovered a mutual fondness for several video games and was talking in an animated way that Leo could not match. He liked video games but rarely spent much time on them, preferring actual physical training to the type controlled by an electronic device.

A small burn in his gut told Leo that he might be feeling the first pangs of jealousy, something he knew had to be squelched immediately. It would not do to allow that tiny fire to become a conflagration; it would be much too satisfying for Raphael to see Leo blow up.

It would also not do to allow Master Splinter to believe that Leo could not control his emotions with respect to his new young lover. That was the thing that Master Splinter had expressed the most concern over and Leo was determined to acquire the discipline necessary to remain a good leader, a good brother, and a good mate all at the same time.

Leo knew he had to show Master Splinter that he was capable of balancing every segment of his life lest his father force Leo into a decision he did not ever want to make.

Controlling the green eyed monster was necessary for Mikey's benefit as well. The young turtle did not deserve to become the primary point for conflict between members of his new home. Leo had promised Mikey that he would be as comfortable amongst the other family members as he was with Leo himself.

If Leo could not maintain his normal even temperament and control he might frighten Mikey into believing his decision to join Leo was a mistake.

Perhaps that was all part of a careful design by Raph, a plan to break apart Leo's new relationship, or an effort to show their father that Leo wasn't level headed enough to lead them. Maybe Raph was simply jealous that Leo had found true love, or angry that Leo had done so without giving Raph a chance to compete for Mikey.

Or it was possible that Raph was as truly fascinated by the young Michelangelo as Leo was and that Raph's raging hormones were begging him to attempt to steal Mikey from his oldest brother. None of those scenarios made Leo any happier and by the looks of things, Donatello wasn't thrilled with the situation either.

At the end of their meal, Master Splinter cleared his throat and gained everyone's attention. "Thank you, Michelangelo, for a most excellent dinner. Perhaps you and Leonardo would care to join me in my room once you have finished eating. I would like to have the opportunity to speak with the two of you."

The smile that had been on Mikey's face froze and though he looked a little uncertain, he said, "You're welcome, Master Splinter. I'm all done but I should clean up this mess first. I've learned that it isn't good to leave food lying around down here 'cause there are too many critters that'd be happy to have some of it."

"Go ahead, Mikey. You cooked so it's only fair that someone else cleans up. I'll take care of it," Don offered, pushing back from the table.

When he began to gather empty plates, Raph stood up as well and picked up the containers holding their leftovers.

"You guys go with Master Splinter, me and _Donny_ have this covered." Raph emphasized Don's new nickname and grinned at the genius before turning towards the kitchen.

Before he left the table to follow his father and Mikey, Leo noticed that Don was staring at Raph's retreating shell, his eyes darker than normal and his face expressionless.

Master Splinter stood to the side as the two turtles entered his room, sliding the door closed behind them before crossing to his meditation mat. Once he was settled on it, he waved at the space in front of him and Leo kneeled, indicating with a nod of his head that Mikey should do so as well.

Being still was difficult for the young turtle and after a few moments of enduring Master Splinter's silent gaze, Mikey began to fidget, his head moving slightly as he looked around the room. Leo kept his head bowed in respect, but he could see his young lover from the corner of his eye and hoped fervently that Master Splinter would not keep Mikey is suspense for much longer.

"Michelangelo," Master Splinter said in a low voice, making Mikey jump guiltily. "I am sorry."

Mikey appeared startled and Leo looked at his father in puzzlement. "Sorry? For what?" Mikey asked.

"When I discovered your brothers in the tunnels all of those years ago, I should have sensed your presence as well. I did not take the time to learn if any other living thing had come in contact with the mutagen; I merely rescued the three turtles before me in order to remove them from the glowing ooze. If I had been more alert, I would have seen your footprints or smelled your scent. Because I did not take greater care, you were left to survive on your own. Your life was much more difficult than it needed to have been."

As his father spoke, Leo felt himself relax. He had been afraid that his father was apologizing for being forced to send Mikey away, having seen something that would disrupt the family in a way that couldn't be mended.

"None of that's your fault," Mikey said softly. "It would have been great to have been raised with my brothers, but stuff just didn't work out that way. I wandered off and someone else found me, and that's not on you or me. That's just fate."

"You have a very philosophical view," Master Splinter said. "Are you prepared to offer that type of acceptance to your new existence?"

"If you mean can I live here with Leo and my brothers and follow the rules, sure," Mikey said enthusiastically, then added with a touch more respect, "I mean yes, Master Splinter."

Master Splinter's mouth twitched slightly at the corners, his amusement obvious to Leo who knew his father well.

"It is much more than following rules," Master Splinter said. "We live by a code of honor that you must learn in order to be a member of this team. You will spend many hours training with your brothers so that you can become an accomplished team player, meaning you will learn to follow Leonardo's commands without question."

"I can do that," Mikey said, shooting a happy glance in Leo's direction.

"There will be times when Leonardo will order you to do something you may not agree with," Master Splinter said. "He may even find it necessary to place you in harm's way, though doing so will be contrary to his natural inclinations to protect you."

"If you mean that when we're working he can't play favorites, I wouldn't want him to," Mikey said. "If he started to do that, then I'd feel like he thought I couldn't handle myself and what would be the point of my being there in the first place? He knows I can hold my own in a fight, or he should know it. If I have more training I can be even better."

Master Splinter looked from Mikey to Leo and then back again. "This is my largest concern with regards to the bond the two of you have formed. Leonardo has sought my blessing and I give it, with contingencies. The two of you must work hard to ensure that your relationship is not a detriment to Raphael or Donatello. This family cannot survive unless we all have perfect trust in one another."

"Yes, sensei," Leo said.

"I'll work really hard, Master Splinter," Mikey said.

This time Master Splinter did allow his smile to show. "Very well. Now I would like to hear more of your life, Michelangelo. Leonardo has told me your story, but there are things that I should like to know from you directly. I think we may excuse Leonardo at this juncture; I am sure he has another duty that he would like to perform."

Leo blinked rapidly and glanced up at his father. The expression on Master Splinter's face was perceptive and Leo realized he shouldn't be surprised that his father knew that Raph was causing him some difficulties.

Rising quickly, Leo bowed to his father and gently squeezed Mikey's shoulder, giving his lover a tender look before leaving the two of them to get acquainted.

Closing the door to his father's room behind him, Leo stepped into the now silent lair. There was a distinct hum coming from inside Don's lab that told Leo his genius brother was working with his power tools.

When Leo scanned the remainder of the downstairs area, he saw no sign of Raphael. He doubted that Raph was working in the lab with Don; most of the projects they did together were done in the garage. A touch of aggravation pulled Leo's lips into a grim line at the thought that Raph had probably taken advantage of Leo's absence to go topside on his own.

However when Leo glanced upstairs towards the bedrooms, he saw that Raph's door was open and the light was on. His brother's shadow blocked the square of light spilling from the doorway for just a moment before disappearing.

Without further thought, Leo's feet turned towards the stairs. It was time for a showdown.

TBC…..


	26. Part 26 Final

The Lost Boy  
part 26  
Final

Raph looked up from the magazine he was reading, sensing Leo's presence. A flash of something came and went in his gold eyes before his lips curved up into a half smile.

"I was wondering when ya' was gonna pay me a visit," Raph said.

Leo studied him for a moment, trying to gauge his brother's mood. Raph held his gaze steadily, reaching over to set the magazine on his bedside table.

"Is that why your door was open?" Leo asked as he gave it a gentle shove to close it.

The action wasn't lost on Raph, who continued to look slightly amused but now also a bit wary. "Maybe."

Nothing further happened for a couple of minutes and finally Raph sighed. "Ya' came ta see me, remember?"

"I'm surprised you didn't go out tonight," Leo said mildly.

"Yeah?" It wasn't really a question as Raph cocked his head to the side and said, "Maybe I think it's more entertaining at home right now."

"Because we've found the lost brother none of us ever knew about?" Leo asked in an even tone.

Raph smirked. "That's right. I can't wait ta get ta know the little shit a whole lot better."

"Drop the act," Leo said with a frown. "You wouldn't force yourself on anyone."

"I guess ya' think ya' know me," Raph told him.

"As well as you know me," Leo said. "You like pushing it with me, but you won't go past a certain point. You have too much honor for that."

"Honor's your thing, remember? So I guess that means Mikey got under your skin real good," Raph said. "Master Splinter knows?"

"He knows and his only concern is that I don't let my obligations as team leader suffer," Leo said.

"Wish I could have been a fly on the wall for that conversation," Raph said with a grin. In a falsetto voice he did an impression of Leo speaking to their father, "'By the way Father, I not only ran off ta track down my long lost brother, but I decided not ta come home for a whole day so I could fuck him.'"

"Why must you be so crude?" Leo asked in exasperation.

"So~rry," Raph said. "What should I have said, ya' was making love? That running off and ditching your brothers was spontaneous? Ya' ain't done anything spontaneous in your whole tight ass life."

Leo chose not to respond to that jibe, merely looking at Raph. He knew he had to keep his temper in check; dealing with Raph's aggressive tendencies was part of being the leader. Master Splinter had made it clear to Leo that he had to maintain control of his team if he wanted Mikey to be a part of it, and Raph was his greatest challenge. Leo was sure that his father had sent him to talk to Raph as a first test of his ability to deal with his hot headed brother's obvious resentment over the change in family dynamics.

To Leo's surprise, Raph merely appeared thoughtful rather than pushing Leo in order to get a reaction out of him.

"Ya' got it bad don't ya'?" Raph asked rhetorically. "I can tell you're itching ta take this ta the next level with me, the way ya' usually do, but you're holding back 'cause Master Splinter must have given ya' an ultimatum. What was it, keep the reins tight on your team or Michelangelo goes?"

Raph was by no means unintelligent and Leo had a feeling his brother would figure things out eventually.

"I'll do whatever I must to be able to hold onto what I have with Mikey," Leo told him. "Even if it means I can't lead this team anymore."

His brother's eyes grew wide and then narrowed. "I'll bet ya' expect me ta push that ta my advantage," Raph said. "It just so happens that contrary ta popular opinion, I don't want that job. I value my freedom too damn much. Only one of us was born with such a natural stick up his ass and that'd be ya'."

"Then exactly what do you want, Raphael?" Leo asked. "Do you even know?"

"I know what I don't want," Raph snapped. "I don't want ta be alone for the rest of my sorry life, but it looks like that ain't gonna be a choice I get ta make. Up until a couple of weeks ago, I thought we were the only ones of our kind and then _poof_, along comes a fourth mutated turtle. I don't know a damn thing about him but a guy can dream, can't he? Then my brother, Mr. Perfect Leader, the guy who always gets everything, goes out and snags himself the only suitable mate on this whole fucking planet."

Raph lowered his head and glowered at the floor, his shoulders heaving with emotion. For a long couple of minutes Leo didn't know what to say; he couldn't apologize for having pursued Mikey, there was no question of whether it was fair for him to do what he had done because this wasn't a game. He and Mikey had a real connection, something they had both felt before officially meeting, and Leo couldn't have taken any chances on losing his opportunity to make Mikey his own.

Then Leo remembered the expression on Donatello's face during the dojo challenge and how his smart brother had seemed during dinner.

"Suppose he isn't?" Leo asked quietly, verbally following his train of thought.

"What the fuck are ya' talking about?" Raph's head came up, his expression fierce. "Don't jerk me around with any of your philosophical shit about how the world's a big place and lighting can strike twice. We might as well have a stupid conversation about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin."

"The world is too big a place," Leo said, "look closer to home."

"What, are ya' offering ta share Mikey?" Raph gave him an incredulous look. "Give me a break."

"No, I am not offering to share Mikey," Leo said patiently. "Master Splinter has made it quite clear that he has no problem with my finding a mate in my own brother."

"Oh excuse the fuck out of my ignorance," Raph snarled. "I thought for a minute we might actually be talking about me."

Leo repressed the urge to reach out and shake Raph. _"What do I have to do, hit him over the head?"_ Leo thought.

Exasperated, Leo said, "Why do you always tease Donatello? You did it when the two of you were cleaning up after dinner and you do it on a regular basis. He never gets angry about it even when you sometimes go too far. So why do it at all?"

Raph's brow furrowed. "What the shell does that have ta do with anything? I tease Donny 'cause I like how he takes things. He don't get all pissy like ya' do, he just bats the shit right back at me. Makes me laugh. Makes me forget life down here ain't a bed of roses. He's got a nice voice and I like ta hear it."

"You two have a lot in common," Leo said, prompting Raph further.

"What, 'cause we both like ta work on engines and mechanical shit? Yeah, I suppose. He likes ta watch sports, which ya' don't, and he knows what the fuck he's talking about, which ya' don't. I like sparring with him too 'cause he's stronger than ya' are and he gives me a better workout. All ya' ever want ta do is fuss about my damn technique."

"He prefers your company to mine," Leo told him. "He always has."

"Turtle has taste," Raph said smugly.

"In fact, you two have always been very close," Leo said. "Almost inseparable."

"Why the hell shouldn't we be?" Raph demanded. "Ya' gonna begrudge me Don's company now? He's the only one who ever made me feel . . . ."

Raph's voice trailed off and his expression froze, his eyes staring at nothing. Leo remained absolutely still, letting Raph process the things he'd just been saying about their genius brother.

"Don?" Raph said, more to himself than to Leo.

"Didn't you hear the way his voice sounded when you couldn't pin Mikey earlier?" Leo asked.

Raph nodded slowly, his gaze unblinking and directed inwards. "He didn't want me ta get that close ta Mikey, did he?"

The question was rhetorical and Leo didn't answer it, instead saying, "He was very quiet at dinner tonight, didn't you wonder why? He should have been playing twenty questions with Mikey, but I watched him and all he did was keep his eyes on you."

Looking up, Raph fixed Leo with a pained stare. "He didn't talk ta me when we were in the kitchen and I thought he was thinking about some experiment. He's upset 'cause I was playing up ta Mikey ain't he?"

"I think Don cares about you more than he's ever let on," Leo said. "I think he cares about you more than anything else in the world. He's never going to tell you because he thinks you can't see him that way."

"Donny." Raph's fists clenched. "I'm so fucking stupid. He's been right there in front of me all this time and I ain't done a damn thing about it. The way I feel about him it's . . . _fuck_, I've wasted so much time!"

"Then don't waste any more," Leo said.

Raph jumped up from the bed, passing Leo and jerking his door open so quickly he nearly pulled it from its hinges.

"Leo," Raph said, pausing at the entrance and waiting for Leo to turn around. "I'm happy ya' found Mikey."

Leo smiled. "I'm happy you've finally found Don."

Raph's return smile was bright enough to light up the room. Without bothering with the stairs, Raph leaped down to the floor below and headed towards Don's lab.

Walking down the staircase, Leo watched as Raph opened the lab door and stepped inside. The sound of Don's power drill ceased just in time for Leo to hear the lock on the door being turned.

With a look of accomplishment on his face, Leo spun around and spotted Mikey standing behind the couch, his arms crossed over his plastron and his shell braced on the couch back.

"How did your talk with Master Splinter go?" Leo asked, walking towards his mate.

"Great! He likes me better than the rest of you already," Mikey said with a grin. "How did your talk with Raph go? Did you manage to direct his attention away from me?"

Leo chuckled, passing his hands along Mikey's arms and pulling them away from his chest so that Leo could step in close to him.

"I turned his affection towards someone more suitable," Leo murmured as he pressed a kiss to the side of Mikey's neck.

"It must have been hard since I'm so irresistible," Mikey gurgled, grabbing onto the edges of Leo's shell.

"Terribly difficult," Leo responded, nibbling at the underside of Mikey's chin. "I deserve a reward."

"I can probably come _up_ with something," Mikey quipped before bringing his lips into contact with Leo's.

Several enjoyable minutes later they came up for air. "Now that everything seems to be settled, let me introduce you to that warm shower I was telling you about earlier," Leo said.

Mikey gleefully chased Leo up the stairs and into the bathroom, where they thrilled at the opportunity to strip one another as the water reached the right temperature. Leo moved into the wide stall and held his hand out to Mikey, who stepped under the spray of water and then grinned happily.

Leo chuckled as he watched Mikey twist and turn beneath the water and then Leo grabbed a washcloth and soaped it before applying it to Mikey's plastron. With gentle strokes he cleansed his lover's skin and then allowed Mikey to return the favor.

By the time they had rinsed the soap from their bodies, both were panting with need. Leo pushed Mikey against the tile wall and began to ravish the young turtle's neck with his mouth and tongue while his hands roamed every reachable part of Mikey's body. It was better than his daydream, better still when Mikey clung to his neck and wrapped his muscular legs around Leo's frame, allowing the elder turtle to fully drive into his partner.

The warm water washed away the evidence of their lovemaking and completely spent, the pair stumbled out of the shower stall. Toweling each other briskly, Leo led Mikey by the hand into his bedroom, pulling back his blankets and urging the younger turtle into the bed.

Leo placed their gear on his desk and then turned out the lights before climbing in next to Mikey. Snugly tucked against one another, Leo smiled as Mikey's warm breath tickled his collarbone.

"This has been the best day of my life," Mikey whispered, his voice sounding tired but happy.

"Mine too," Leo said, squeezing Mikey tightly. "It's just the start of many, many more."

"Promise?" Mikey asked.

"I promise," Leo answered. "Now that I've found you, I can guarantee you'll never feel lost again."

THE END


End file.
